Palliative Care Order Set - Stratis Health

Priority Aims and Suggested Measures
Palliative Care
Committee on Evidence-Based Practice/May 6, 2008
1. Improve the management of pain symptoms in adult patients with a potentially life-threatening or
chronic, progressive illness in a specifically defined disease population.
Possible measures for accomplishing this aim:
a. Percentage of patients who have a pain level greater than 4/10 or at an unacceptable level to the
patient with documentation of an intervention to reduce pain. (ICSI Assessment and Management
of Acute Pain guideline measure)
b. Percentage of patients with documentation in the medical record indicating their personal pain
management goal was met within one week of intervention.
c. After 48 hours, the percentage of patients reporting pain at a level less than 4 or at an acceptable
level to patient. (ICSI Assessment and Management of Acute Pain guideline measure)
d. Percentage of patients reporting good or very good satisfaction with the approach to pain control.
(ICSI Assessment and Management of Acute Pain guideline measure)
2. Improve the management of distressing symptoms such as, but not limited to, shortness of breath, seizures
and constipation in adult patients with a potentially life-threatening or chronic, progressive illness in a
specifically defined disease population.
Possible measures for accomplishing this aim:
a. For seizure activity, the percentage of patients with a decrease in the number of seizures following
one week of intervention.
b. Percentage of patients receiving a pain intervention with documentation that a bowel program has
been implemented.
c. For shortness of breath, the percentage of patients reporting an improvement in the severity of the
symptom after 24 hours of intervention.
3. Improve patient/family satisfaction with regards to control of distressing symptoms in adult patients
with a potentially life-threatening or chronic, progressive illness in a specifically defined disease population.
Possible measures for accomplishing this aim:
a. Percentage of patients reporting good or very good satisfaction with patients achieved level of
comfort as reported by patient and/or family member.
At this point in development for this order set, there are no specifications written for possible measures listed
above. ICSI will seek input from the medical groups on what measures are of most use as they implement
the order set. In a future revision of the order set, measurement specifications may be included.
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement
www.icsi.org
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