Skip to main content

Table 2 Additional set of measures

From: Study protocol: evaluation of specialized outpatient palliative care in the German state of Hesse (ELSAH study) – work package I: assessing the quality of care

Measure

Description

Application time

Consumer Quality Index Palliative Care (CQ-index PC)

Patients

The CQ-index PC is a standardized questionnaire developed and validated by the Dutch health ministry, that aims to measure the quality of palliative care from the view of those affected; there is a patient version [21] and a version for bereaved ones applied some weeks after bereavement [22]. Unlike to other scales the object of rating is not satisfaction; with regard to several aspects of care each item is rated for one thing how the aspect was experienced, for another thing how important this aspect is to that person. The CQ-index PC can be used to assess the quality of palliative care in various settings.

The original version of the CQ-index PC for Patients includes 88 items (32 experience items, 32 importance items and 24 on background characteristics). Items are clustered in several domains (e.g. care for physical well-being, care for psychological wellbeing, care for spiritual well-being, respecting independence, respecting privacy, information, expertise of caregivers). The original version of the CQ-index PC for bereaved ones includes 102 items (34 experience items, 34 importance items and 34 on background characteristics.

Once in the second week of care.

Consumer Quality Index Palliative Care (CQ-index PC)

Bereaved

Once 6–24 weeks post mortem.

Sense of Security Patients (SEC-P)

Sense of security in care seems to be a prerequisite to enable home-care for patients with advanced disease and their unpaid caregivers [42]. The SEC is so far the only known instrument measuring the patients’ and relatives’ sense of security in palliative care. The two versions of the questionnaire, one for patients (15 items) [23], one for relatives (17 items) [24], are available in a validated Swedish version. Each version consists of three sub scales.

Once after about 5–10 days AND ≥ 3 appointments.

Sense of Security Relatives (SEC-R)

Once after about 5–10 days AND ≥ 3 appointments.