About PCOC

There are many ways we know we are providing good care. We can measure our processes and display our thank you letters. But how do we know we are improving patient care? Show we do what we say we do. We focus on patient outcomes. The Australian Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, or PCOC, is the only source of routine palliative care outcome data in Australia and provides the facts about the effect of palliative care. The ultimate measure of quality is the outcomes that our patients and their families and carers achieve.

PCOC is a national voluntary program that is improving the quality and outcomes of palliative care in Australia by producing information to be used by clinicians and by local state and national providers of palliative care, to continually improve care for patients and their families.

PCOC measures outcomes for pain, including physical symptoms, psychological and spiritual needs, as well as family and carer outcomes. This provides evidence to mojito and prove the outcomes of care and drive continuous improvement in palliative care.

How does PCOC work? Let’s look at the six-monthly PCOC cycle. First, clinicians use the assessment tools to assess and respond to each patient’s needs. Then, PCOC reports the assessment data back to you. Benchmarking takes place so you can compare results. Then, PCOC facilitates feedback methods that identify achievements and areas for change. Feedback is an essential part of improvement. And then you start the PCOC cycle again.

PCOC is the world’s largest national routine point-of-care data collection for quality improvement, representing more than 80 per cent of all palliative care patients referred to specialist services in Australia, or 40,000 people each year, measuring outcomes for people as they move between home and hospital.

Does PCOC work? National results show statistically significant improvements over time in all symptom domains and in key palliative care problem domains. PCOC embeds and sustains two key frameworks into routine procedure and practice; the PCOC assessment framework and the quality improvement and change framework. The benefits of the assessment framework include; standard assessment and a common language when planning care or handing over in any care setting, baseline assessment and snapshot of patient needs, the ability to track and respond to patient symptoms, patients and their families and carers are part of the decision making, and care is driven by need. The benefits of the quality improvement and change framework include providing a structure for; evidence for the care being provided, outcomes triggering a review of processes, identifying areas for targeted quality improvement, identifying priorities for clinical and systems management change, and service planning. PCOC also helps with meeting requirements for accreditation by providing evidence of participation in quality improvement, and assists with local, state and national research on patient outcomes.

By firmly embedding a culture of quality improvement through the PCOC program, your service can measure and improve the care it provides, resulting in a better patient and family and carer experience and improved outcomes of care.