Mrs Anita Hartati1, Kylie Draper1, Sabina Clapham1
1Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, Wollongong, Australia
Biography:
Anita Hartati is an Improvement Facilitator with PCOC and a Registered Nurse with 14 years of experience in clinical practice and healthcare project management. She holds a Master of Clinical Nursing and Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics. For Anita, data-driven decision making in healthcare is profoundly nuanced, as each data point reflects a patient’s story, the dedication of their families and carers, the efforts of healthcare professionals who strive to provide the best care, and the complex factors influencing health out-comes.
Abstract:
Background:
The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) Version 4 (V4) aims to reduce disparities in palliative care by expanding data collection to include underserved populations. These include individuals experiencing delirium, those living in correctional facilities or group homes, people receiving care via telehealth, and those without a carer. By continuing to monitor access to palliative care services, PCOC enables population-level gap analyses and fosters a deeper understanding of outcomes for these groups. This supports more equitable data-driven improvements in care delivery and outcomes at scale (Daveson et al., 2023).
Aims:
To describe the intent of PCOC V4 and demonstrate its potential to close data gaps, enhance outcome measures and promote equitable access to palliative care across diverse settings.
Methods:
PCOC V4 was co-designed with clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and service users to ensure relevance, inclusivity and practical utility. Key enhancements include:
1.Delirium measures – Incorporating clinician-assessed and patient-reported indicators to prompt assessment, track prevalence, support education, and evaluate interventions.
2.Carer availability –Identifying whether patients have access to carer support-to inform care planning, measure -service utilisation and adjust outcomes.
3.Mode of assessment –Capturing how care is delivered (in person, videoconference, or telephone), to better understand virtual models of care.
4.Accommodation categories – Including correctional facilities and group homes to ensure representation of these populations in outcome measurement.
Results:
V4 is scheduled for pilot implementation in early 2026. Initial sector feedback indicates strong support for its inclusive design, adaptability across diverse care settings, and focus on addressing data gaps particularly for marginalised and underserved populations.
Conclusions:
PCOC Version 4 represents a pivotal step towards equitable measurement in Australian palliative care enabling a more complete understanding of care delivery and outcomes for underserved communities