Public Opinion Survey Report

Report Title: What Canadians Say (December 2013)

Harris/Decima conducted for The Way Forward, a quantitative online research survey of 2,976 Canadian adults. Completed using Harris/Decima’s proprietary online panel so is precluded from reporting a margin of error. Data were collected between July 5 and August 7 2013. Survey data were weighted using 2011 Census to reflect general population (gender, age and region). 

Full report, click here

 

For the press release, click here

For the infographic, click here

For the fast facts, click here 

**Please use appropriate citation when referencing data and charts of The Way Forward Harris/Decima Survey.**

Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, What Canadians Say: The Way Forward Survey Report, for The Way Forward initiative, Harris/Decima: 2013.

Objectives

As The Way Forward is developing its national framework, it was important for the CHPCA to conduct research to identify more closely the topics and areas of interest to CHPCA on which to refine this framework over the next three years.   

The Framework contains principles and action steps, best practices and other resources to help guide communities and organizations adapt the palliative approach to care across all settings of care. The first draft of the Framework was informed byThe Way Forward advisory committee and members of the QELCCC ― experts in the field who represent national professional organizations and non-governmental groups committed to the integrated palliative approach to care. Over the coming months, it will be revised and refined based on the advice and feedback from stakeholders across the country, and informed by public opinion.  The overall result of this research study was to identify potential criteria for the evaluation framework and also the key communication opportunities that can be implemented that are relevant to promising practices and expectations of community-integrated hospice palliative care across all health care settings.

Specifically, the objectives of the CHPCA’s public opinion research were to provide insights about the following:

a)      Attitudes about the palliative approach to care;

b)      Personal connection to chronic or life limiting illness and hospice palliative care;

c)       Knowledge of Advance Care Planning;

d)      Perceptions of hospice palliative care programs and services;

e)      Perceptions of provincial/territorial/federal roles in addressing hospice palliative care;

f)       Preferences about where the bulk of care would be received and location of death;

g)      Beliefs about caring for a loved one until the end-of-life;

h)      Perceptions of managing a life limiting or chronic illness (living well until dying); and

i)        Attitudes and perceptions about how to engage in discussions about goals of care/advance care planning.

The Way Forward is tapping into palliative care knowledge and expertise across Canada and is focused on fostering collaboration between provincial and territorial governments, regional health authorities, agencies, clinicians and service providers, among others to improve quality of life, reduce emergency visits and hospitalizations, and make more effective use of health system resources.