book cover

Evaluating Palliative Care

Establishing The Evidence Base

By Margaret Robbins

Published by Oxford University Press
Publication date: June, 1998
175 pp.
ISBN: 019262621 (Soft cover)

Synopsis

There has been a huge increase in palliative care services in the past thirty years. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary specialty involving physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual caregivers, and others. The holistic nature of palliative care makes the effectiveness of care difficult to measure. Additionally, research involving terminally ill people and their loved ones can present practical and ethical problems. In spite of this, current health care policy demands evidence of effectiveness and value for money spent on health care interventions.

This book provides an introduction to the theory and practice of the evaluation of palliative care services. Intended for researchers, administrators, and public policy analysts, it examines special methodological issues associated with research involving terminally ill patients and their caregivers. The author gives case examples and outlines a practical approach that is applicable to other types of health care interventions.

In addition to recommending approaches for research, the author presents a review of the results of various evaluations of palliative care. Research studies from various countries are drawn upon, but the greatest proportion of research evidence cited is from Great Britain. Other countries with notable mention include the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

1. Evaluation: what is it and why do it?
2. Researching people who are terminally ill
3. Home and family carers
4. Professional carers
5. Service activity and cost data
6. Tackling the evaluation of palliative care
References
Index

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Evaluating Palliative Care

Establishing The Evidence Base

Synopsis

Table of Contents