Pilot Study for an Evaluation Research Programme of
‘Preferred Place of Care’ (PPC)

Description of Proposed Research

Preferred Place of Care (PPC) is one of three major elements endorsed by the government's End of Life Care Programme to improve palliative and end of life care for people in the UK. The PPC document is a patient-focused tool intended to improve communication about wishes and plans for care at the end of life. The proposed research is a pilot study to gather preliminary data about PPC usage and to test feasibility for a larger national study. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to gather data about PPC's strengths and weaknesses, as well as barriers to its use. Professionals, family members and patients will be interviewed to determine their perspectives on the PPC document. The pilot will allow for refinement of recruitment methods and interview questions for a larger externally funded study to include a greater number and spectrum of participants.