Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs)
Patient‑reported experience measures (PREMs) provide insights, through a questionnaire, into how people with cancer experience their care. They complement patient‑reported outcome measures and clinical data by highlighting what matters most to patients about how care is delivered.
Cancer Outpatient Experience Survey 2025
This page presents statewide findings from cancer PREMs, based on responses to an outpatient questionnaire of adult cancer patients in NSW. The results highlight experiences of care, including communication with health professionals, involvement in decision‑making and coordination across services.
In 2025, more than 12,000 responses were received to our outpatient questionnaire of adult cancer patients – an Institute‑led project aimed at understanding how care is provided across the state.
Overall satisfaction and outcomes
The majority of people who responded reported positive experiences and satisfaction with their cancer care. Respondents shared encouraging feedback on the high quality of their care and compassionate treatment by health professionals.
99%
of patients who responded said their overall care was very good (92%) or good (7%).
98%
of patients who responded rated the health professionals’ teamwork as very good (84%) or good (14%).
96%
of patients who responded said health professionals were ‘always’ kind and caring.
97%
of patients who responded said they were ‘always’ treated with respect and dignity.
93%
of patients said they ‘definitely’ had confidence and trust in their health professionals, and that health professionals listened carefully to their views and concerns.
87%
of respondents, when considering if their care was helpful overall said ‘yes definitely’ (a further 12% said ‘yes to some extent’).
Supporting clear communication
We know that patients who lack an understanding of their diagnosis and treatment can experience negative health outcomes. Health professionals play a critical role in ensuring that patients receive, understand and can act on information about their cancer care.
When asked about the information they were provided, cancer patients who responded to the survey said:
Health professionals explained things in a way they could understand
94%
Always
6%
Sometimes
They were given the right amount of information during their hospital visit/appointment
94%
Right amount
6%
Not enough
They were told who to contact if they had concerns after their appointment
95%
Yes
5%
No
However, we also heard that almost 1 in 4 patients (23%) felt they received conflicting information about their condition or treatment. This presents an opportunity for cancer services to improve how information is provided to patients and ensure it is consistent and clear.
Shared decision‑making and coordinated care
Overall satisfaction and outcomes
The majority of people who responded reported positive experiences and satisfaction with their cancer care. Respondents shared encouraging feedback on the high quality of their care and compassionate treatment by health professionals.
86%
of patients responded that they were involved in decisions about their care as much as they wanted to be.
88%
found the care was very well‑organised (88%).
However, coordination with primary care and community health services could be improved. There’s an opportunity for GPs to be better informed about their patients’ care in the outpatient setting, with only 72% of survey respondents reporting that they felt their community care providers were definitely up to date.
During treatment, it’s important that cancer services work seamlessly with primary health care providers, who play an important role in providing ongoing holistic care to patients. GPs also often help to support treatment reviews, especially for patients located in rural or regional areas.
View the data: Cancer Outpatient Experience Survey 2025 (xlsx).
