The national agenda for quality palliative care: the National Consensus Project and the National Quality Forum.
The release in 2007 of the National Quality Forum (NQF) preferred practices is a significant advance in the field of palliative care. These NQF preferred practices build on the clinical practice guidelines for palliative care developed by the National Consensus Project (NCP). The NQF is dedicated to improving the quality of American health care, and their focus on palliative care recognizes its growing place within the broader scope of health care. This article reviews the work of both the NCP and NQF and presents the domains and preferred practices that should guide quality improvement efforts in hospice and palliative care.
Ferrell
Betty
B
Department of Nursing Research & Education, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010-3000, USA. bferrell@coh.org
Connor
Stephen R
SR
Cordes
Anne
A
Dahlin
Constance M
CM
Fine
Perry G
PG
Hutton
Nancy
N
Leenay
Mark
M
Lentz
Judy
J
Person
Judi Lund
JL
Meier
Diane E
DE
Zuroski
Ken
K
D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014481:United States