Question

• Discuss the role of outcome in assessment of quality performance.
• Define quality in health care and discuss its domains and dimensions.
• Discuss the components of a comprehensive performance measurement framework.

Answer 1

Role of outcome in assessment of quality performance

The regulatory and administrative complexities made it difficult to achieve the triple/quadruple aim of healthcare. Additionally, the complexities observed in outcomes improvement are also very challenging. It is because of the fact that the health systems measure and report on hundreds of these outcomes every year.

The health system try managing above mentioned complexities by analysing outcome measures such as minute analysis of real-world examples and integrating three essentials for successful outcomes measurement.

The Quadruple Aim of healthcare includes

1. Improving the patient experience of care.
2. Improving the health of populations.
3. Reduction in the per capita cost of healthcare.
4. Reduce clinician and staff burnout.

Comprehensive measuring, reporting, and comparing the outcomes facilitates achieving the above mentioned quadruple aim of healthcare.

Additionally, the outcome measurement play crucial role in assessment of quality performance as it:

• Gives ideas about the areas in which interventions could improve care.
• Would help in the Identification of variations of care.
• Could provide evidence about the patient specific interventions and their success
• Help making a comparative account for the successful implementations of various treatments and procedure

Quality in health care

The quality in health care may be defined as the definition given by the Institute of Medicine as "the degree to which health care services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge."

Additionally, as per the Institute of Medicine, quality is associated with following domains:

• Effectiveness. It facilitates availability of care processes and achieving outcomes as supported by scientific evidence.
• Efficiency. It take care of the quality of a comparable unit of health care provided
• Equity. Taking care of access of health care of equal quality to everyone. No discrimination.
• Patient centeredness. Taking care of patients' needs and preferences and educating patient as well as providing support to them.
• Safety. Relates to actual or potential bodily harm.
• Timeliness. It sure no delays in obtaining needed care.