Region-specific macro-indicators for palliative care development in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a Delphi study

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Global Health

Background:

• The World Health Organization Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO/EMRO) recognized the need for standardized palliative care monitoring.
• A dedicated palliative care experts network for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) was established to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and validate relevant and feasible macro-indicators for assessing palliative care development across the EMR.
• To establish region-specific metrics for national palliative care monitoring.

Main Methods:

• A two-round Delphi study involving palliative care experts from the EMR.
• Experts rated existing and proposed macro-indicators based on regional relevance and feasibility.
• Indicators were selected using a Content Validity Index (CVI) and average relevance/feasibility scores.

Main Results:

• Twelve of 22 EMR countries participated.
• Fifteen region-specific indicators were validated, meeting relevance, feasibility, and CVI criteria.
• Key indicators included national palliative care strategy existence, specialized service ratios, dedicated funding, pre-qualification education, and opioid availability.

Conclusions:

• A validated set of 15 region-specific indicators for palliative care development in the EMR has been established.
• These indicators provide a baseline for monitoring and improving palliative care across the region.