• Brandyn D Lau, Rebecca A Aslakson, Renee F Wilson, Oluwakemi A Fawole, Colleen C Apostol, Kathryn A Martinez, Daniela Vollenweider, Eric B Bass, and Sydney E Morss Dy.
• 1Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
• Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2014 Mar 1;31(2):202-10.

BackgroundThe effectiveness for improving the outcomes across palliative care domains remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review of different types of quality improvement interventions relevant to palliative care.MethodsWe searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane for relevant articles published between 2000 and 2011.ResultsA total of 10 randomized controlled trials and 7 nonrandomized controlled trials were included. Of the 5 studies using relay of clinical information, 1 reported significant improvement in patient quality of life. Of the 5 studies targeting education and self-management, 4 found significant improvements in quality of life or patient symptoms.ConclusionA minority of quality improvement interventions have succeeded in improving the quality of palliative care delivery. More studies are needed on specific quality improvement types, including organizational change and multiple types of interventions.

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