Indicadores de qualidade aplicáveis aos serviços de cuidados paliativos pediátricos em Portugal

Abstract

Introduction: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) services have developed worldwide in recent years. Quality indicators (QI) are useful and necessary tools to monitor this development. The present study proposes to gather a set of indicators to be applicable to PPC services in Portugal. Methodology: Analytical study developed in two stages: systematic literature review (2000- 2021) to identify IQs used internationally in PPC, followed by determination by consensus of a group of experts (recruited by convenience, among professionals with training and work experience in in-hospital PPC teams) of the set of IQs suitable for the current Portuguese reality. Results: The systematic review identified 368 possible IQs. From the consensus by a group of experts (four physicians, one nurse) of in-hospital PPC teams, a final set of 82 IQs was selected from which 34 were identified as essential (17 structure, 12 process, 5 outcome). The final set of IQs includes the aspects considered most relevant to quality care in PPC, in accordance with the standards and guidelines of the scientific community and international organizations. The set of QIs considered essential shows the current concern of experts with the adequate conditions of the structure and process of care to obtain quality outcomes. Conclusion: The proposed set of IQs, especially the essential ones, will enable the measurement and monitoring of the quality of PPCs in Portugal, throughout the implementation and growth of services, serving patients, teams, managers, and society. In the future, it will be important to revise these IQs by incorporating the views of other experts, patients, and the reality of service development.

Date of Award	7 Mar 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Fernando Augusto Coelho Rosa (Supervisor) & Ana Forjaz de Lacerda (Co-Supervisor)