• Kathleen T Unroe, Susan E Hickman, Alexia M Torke, and AAHPM Research Committee Writing Group.
• Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Regenstrief Institute, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; RESPECT Signature Center, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Electronic address: kunroe@iu.edu.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016 Oct 1; 52 (4): 453-458.

AbstractA basic tenet of palliative care is discerning patient treatment preferences and then honoring these preferences, reflected by the inclusion of "Care Consistency With Documented Care Preferences" as one of 10 "Measuring What Matters quality" indicators. Measuring What Matters indicators are intended to serve as a foundation for quality measurement in health care settings. However, there are a number of logistic and practical issues to be considered in the application of this quality indicator to clinical practice. In this brief methodologic report, we describe how care consistency with documented care preferences has been measured in research on patients near the end of life. Furthermore, we outline methodologic challenges in using this indicator in both research and practice, such as documentation, specificity and relevance, preference stability, and measuring nonevents. Recommendations to strengthen the accuracy of measurement of this important quality marker in health care settings include consistent recording of preferences in the medical record, considerations for selection of treatment preferences for tracking, establishing a protocol for review of preferences, and adoption of a consistent measurement approach.Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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