Outcomes from applying a palliative care satisfaction survey instrument in Victoria, Australia

© 2016, © Taylor & Francis 2016. Background: Attempts to develop tools to measure client satisfaction in the palliative care sector have identified a number of challenges, including the lack of common definition of ‘satisfaction’. This paper reports on the utilization of the Victorian Palliative Care Satisfaction Instrument (VPCSI) in three Victoria-wide surveys over three years, of patient and carer satisfaction with palliative care provision. Aim: The VPCSI aimed to both meet the Australian Government performance indicator reporting and facilitate quality improvement for palliative care services. Setting/participants: All palliative services receiving funding from the Victorian Department of Health were invited to participate. Feedback via survey was captured from adult patients, carers, and bereaved carers in both inpatient and community palliative care settings. Results: Overall state-wide response rates averaged 26% over the three-year trial period. Satisfaction state-wide rated very high, ranging from 66% for patients to 74% for bereaved carers. Top five items given priority to improve varied across respondent type but overall included opportunities to talk to other carers; activities to pass the time; minimizing financial burden and training for carers to perform specific care tasks. The top five rated items overall were level of respect shown as an individual; nurse responses; expertise of staff; overall palliative care team performance; and support for physical care. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that the VPCSI is an important tool for the collection of consumer satisfaction data in the palliative care sector across a wide range of service providers.