Aim: The aim of the study was to study the outcomes of palliative day care, in terms of health-related quality of life and the emotional well-being of cancer patients participating in a palliative day care programme for a period of five weeks, compared with a group of palliative cancer patients not participating in day-care.
Methods: The day care sample comprised of patients in a palliative day care programme delivered in two different day care facilities. Participants in the comparison group were recruited from a palliative home care service facility. All patients had a cancer diagnosis. The participants were invited to respond to two questionnaires once a week for a period of five weeks; the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-30) and the Mood Adjective List (MACL).
Results: The participants in the day care group and the comparison group reported similar levels of perceived functioning and symptoms, as measured by the EORTC QLQ-30, with no significant differences between the groups. However, the day care group reported higher levels of emotional well-being as measured by the MACL than the comparison group reported, although these differences were not statistically significant.