Quality of Death Index

Quality of Death Index was used for advocacy purposes both nationally and globally

Findings spurred various health ministries to make palliative care more accessible

In Singapore, it prompted the first-ever National Strategy for Palliative Care in 2011

Cross-country studies released in 2010, 2015 and 2021, comparing countries around the world in their provision of palliative care.

To advocate better care for the dying, the Foundation commissioned the first ever “Quality of Death” to assess how nations fared when it came to ensuring a dignified and pain free death.

In 2010, the Foundation commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit to develop the first-ever Index to rank the availability, cost and quality of end-of-life care in 40 countries. The 2010 study garnered much attention and sparked a series of policy debates over the provision of palliative and end-of-life care around the world. In Singapore, it has prompted the government to commission the first-ever National Strategy for Palliative Care in 2011, and which was refreshed in 2023.

A new version of the Index was commissioned in 2015, expanding its coverage to 80 countries.

The Foundation subsequently commissioned the Lien Centre for Palliative Care to release the Quality of Death and Dying 2021 and the research paper was published under the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management written by experts from Singapore, USA, India and the UK. Unlike the earlier versions, the latest study examined what matters most to patients and families at the end of life in 81 countries. It developed a list of 13 indicators to capture quality of care delivery.