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Palliative Medicine
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A qualitative evaluation of the impact of palliative care day services: the experiences of patients, informal carers, day unit managers and volunteer staff

Joe Low

Rachel Perry

Susie Wilkinson

Marie Curie Palliative Care R & D Unit, Royal Free & University College Medical School, London

Objectives: To explore the experiences of people involved in UK palliative care day services (PCDS) and identify the important outcomes of this service. Methods: Focus groups were carried out separately with patients, informal carers and volunteers from four purposively selected palliative care day units and with day unit managers from 11 units. Results: Patients benefited from both the support of PCDS professionals and social support of fellow PCDS patients, which contributed to a perceived improvement in their quality of life. Carers appreciated both the respite and support from PCDS, but acknowledged that they still had a poor quality of life. The challenges facing PCDS include the difficulties of discharging patients and the future role of volunteers. Discussion: PCDS improved patients' perceived quality of life and future evaluations on patient outcomes could use concepts such as self-esteem, selfworth and confidence. Future service provision could explore the possibility of a mixed service using both the traditional and appointment-based system.

Key Words: day services • palliative care • patients and carers

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 19, No. 1, 65-70 (2005)
DOI: 10.1191/0269216305pm942oa
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[Abstract] [PDF]