Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41511507›Full record

ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2026

Defining palliative care service capability: a scoping review to support quality improvement and benchmarking.

Sabina Clapham, Barbara Daveson, Animut Alebel Ayalew, Kylie Draper, Anita Hartati, Kate Reed, Lisa Redwood, Leeroy William, David Currow

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Sabina ClaphamPalliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, University of Wollongong, Mike Codd Building, Innovation Campus, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia. sabinac@uow.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5993-6768
Barbara DavesonPalliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, University of Wollongong, Mike Codd Building, Innovation Campus, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.
Animut Alebel AyalewPalliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, University of Wollongong, Mike Codd Building, Innovation Campus, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.
Kylie DraperPalliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, University of Wollongong, Mike Codd Building, Innovation Campus, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.
Anita HartatiPalliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, University of Wollongong, Mike Codd Building, Innovation Campus, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.
Kate ReedCanberra Health Services, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Australia.
Lisa RedwoodPalliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, University of Wollongong, Mike Codd Building, Innovation Campus, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.
Leeroy WilliamSchool of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
David CurrowCollege of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePalliative care is delivered across most healthcare settings, yet service capability remains poorly defined, limiting quality improvement. A clearer definition is essential to drive system-wide improvement. This scoping review was undertaken to answer two important questions: What are the key constructs that define palliative care service capability, and how can they inform quality improvement and benchmarking?

methodsA scoping review, retrieving studies from Medline, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Relevant literature published in English from the year 2000 onwards, focusing on palliative care service delivery, standards, quality, and outcomes were included. Data were organised using an evidence map to define service capability and develop a conceptual framework.

resultsPalliative care service capability is defined as the ability of a service to deliver care, shaped by the broader health system and organisation in which the service operates. Four core domains emerged as central to the concept and were mapped against existing standards, quality indicators and clinical frameworks: (1) assessment, planning, and care provision; (2) transitioning patients between services; (3) availability of care; and (4) collaboration and linkages across health services involved in delivering palliative care.

conclusionThis review provides a definition and conceptual model for palliative care service capability to support quality assessment and facilitate meaningful benchmarking. Integrating this framework into national quality initiatives may help identify gaps in service and system delivery, standardise care processes, and enhance patient-centred outcomes.

Indexed as

BenchmarkingPalliative CareQuality ImprovementDelivery of Health CareHumansEnd-of-life carePalliative careQuality improvementScoping reviewService capabilityService delivery

Identifiers

PMID41511507
PMCPMC12789151

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.