Understanding safer practices in health care: a prologue for the role of indicators

Abstract

This paper identifies, perhaps for the first time, how traditional indicators of hospital performance are being used to understand a hospital's performance and associated safety of care. Although the study's time frame is limited to 3 years, the findings seem to suggest that the interest in using these traditional indicators as proxies for safer practice measures is increasing among the QI Project participants worldwide. The challenge of using inherently value-free indicators as indicators of safety (hence de facto labelled as 'error' focused) should be further studied.

Development of a dementia assessment quality database

“…Such quality documentation can be used to improve the services provided. One of the means to survey and document clinical quality is by clinical quality indicators based on consecutively reported data from the daily clinical practice (Collopy, 2000;Kazandjian, Wicker, Ogunbo, & Silverman, 2005). Clinical quality databases have been shown to be a tool to provide information capable of improving clinical quality (Black, 2003;Collopy, 2000;Endahl & Utzon, 2002;Reuben, Shekelle, & Wenger, 2003).…”

Measuring the quality of hospital care: an inventory of indicators

“…This factor notwithstanding, we found safety and effectiveness dominated over other dimensions. The dominance of safety indicators is probably both a legacy of the history of quality measurement 13 and a reflection of stakeholders' priorities 23 . The large number of effectiveness indicators reflects widespread implementation of evidence‐based guidelines and greater need for accountability in resource use 2 …”

“…The dominance of safety indicators is probably both a legacy of the history of quality measurement 13 and a reflection of stakeholders' priorities. 23 The large number of effectiveness indicators reflects widespread implementation of evidence-based guidelines and greater need for accountability in resource use. 2 Efficiency, defined as avoiding waste, 13 may be monitored internally by hospitals, and this, together with our decision to exclude cost-related indicators and variation in definitions, may partially explain the small number of indicators relevant to this dimension in the list.…”

National Hospital Quality Measures Data

“…[4][5][6] Although comparative NHQM data are available through Web sites such as Hospital Compare, 7 the QI Project expanded its reporting capabilities and educational programs to meet the specific needs of quality managers and nurses. Through its 20-plus years of supporting hospitals, and, in particular, nurses and quality managers in performance improvement, the QI Project has gained valuable experience in identifying and understanding the needs of quality improvement nursing staff.…”