Benchmarking: a useful tool for informing and improving care of the dying?

The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of participating in two benchmarking exercises to assess the care delivered to patients in the dying phase using the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP).

The study uses questionnaire evaluation of the benchmarking process assessing the quality/usefulness of: sector feedback reports, individual feedback reports and the workshop element.

Healthcare professionals representing hospital, hospice and community settings.

Sixty-two out of 75 potential participants (83%) returned completed questionnaires.

A study-specific questionnaire was administered as part of the final workshop element of the benchmarking exercise. The questionnaire contained a mixture of 'Likert'-type responses and open-ended questions.

Participants from all sectors reported that the feedback reports contained the right amount and level of data (82-100%), that they were easy to understand (77-92%) and that they were useful to the organisation (94-100%). Respondents particularly valued the opportunity to discuss more fully the results of the benchmark and to network and share elements of good practice with other attendees in the workshops. Participants from the hospital sector identified changes in practice that had occurred as a result of participation.

Using comparative audit data that are readily available from the LCP and using workshops to discuss the findings and plan future care was perceived as a valuable way in which to explore the care delivered to dying patients in a variety of settings.