ABSTRACT
Excellent quality of care is only achieved through a process of ongoing research that examines the outcomes of palliative care programs and medical treatments, audits that help to shape quality improvement efforts to change medical practice, and publicly reported quality indicators. While outcome measures that examine new medications or other treatments are essential for the development of the evidence base of palliative medicine, the focus of this chapter will be on the use of measurement in health services research, quality improvement, and publicly reported quality indicators. For the seriously ill and aged, it is important to measure the outcomes of care to acknowledge the important role of informal caregivers, usually close family members, and medical care must attend to the needs of both the seriously ill persons and those of their family.
