Research, Technology and Innovation

Success Stories

Investigating quality of care of the dying

Four out of five B.C. seniors will spend their final days in a long-term-care facility. When a recent survey showed many patients and their families were dissatisfied with the quality of care provided in these facilities, a team of researchers decided to find out why.

Led by Dr. Kelli Stajduhar, the University of Victoria and Vancouver Island Health Authority researchers are investigating the factors that play a role in influencing the quality of end-of-life care. These include the setting in which care is provided and the organizational culture of the institutions involved. By determining the problem, they hope to provide a solution.

What is unique about this project is that it focuses on quality from the perspective of care receivers, rather than on traditional clinical outcome measures, such as health status. This project goes a long way towards recognizing that there is far more to quality care than medication.

For more information, please visit http://www.coag.uvic.ca/eolcare/.

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