Evaluation of the pilot project “Palliative Care in the City of Zurich: Closing the main gaps in care”.

As part of a three-year pilot project in the city of Zurich, to fulfill a parliamentary motion (GR No. 2016/81), six measures to close major gaps in palliative care provision were examined and implemented starting in 2020.
The measures were:

  • Measure 1: Information for the population, affected persons and close caregivers.
  • Measure 2: Information and education for professionals
  • Measure 3: Fulfillment of palliative care requirements by contract partners
  • Measure 4: Fulfillment of palliative care requirements by service departments of the Department of Health and Environment
  • Measure 5: Further development of the mobile palliative care teams in the city of Zurich.
  • Measure 6: Establishment of a medical palliative care service to support palliative care teams.

The implementation of the six measures was accompanied scientifically. The aim of the scientific evaluation was to examine the feasibility and benefits with regard to the transfer to permanent operation and to work out suggestions for improvement. Typologically, it was a management evaluation that reviewed the achievements and assessed the effects during the process.