Quality improvement can be difficult to assess and monitor in palliative care due to the nature of the specialty. This essay investigates ways in which this is currently carried out by assessing the benefits of patient-centred outcome measures. Potential technological improvements which could be implemented in the future are also discussed. This is an award-winning essay which subsequently complemented a separate project which analysed the use of the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale in an inpatient palliative care unit.