Healthcare Organisations Increasingly Measure Care

Healthcare Organisations Increasingly Measure Care

There has been an 18% increase in the number of healthcare organisations participating in a national clinical indicator program over the past eight years.

Released today, the ACHS Australasian Clinical Indicator Report includes data collected from participating healthcare organisations (HCOs) which has increased from 582 organisations in 2001 to 689 in 2008.

The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) Clinical Indicator Program is a service offered to HCOs for the assessment of important aspects of a health service. The Program is the only national clinical indicator program examining data across a full range of medical disciplines and has now been in operation for 20 years.

"While the program is voluntary, so the data cannot be used to make definitive statements about the quality of care, it does highlight areas for investigation and improvement. The areas which have been highlighted are consistent with other national data and priorities, such as the need to improve access block and information supporting medication safety," commented ACHS Chief Executive Mr Brian Johnston.

The indicators with a high proportion of organisations sitting outside a norm were usually associated with process measures, such as delays in reporting test results (Pathology and Radiology), access block in emergency departments and intensive care units and documentation of processes for intensive care assessment.

Some other areas with undesirable rates that require further investigation include: Mental Health Inpatient Indicator 5.3 Inpatient seclusion for more than 4 hours The rates for inpatients secluded for more than four hours in a single episode of an admission increased from 27.2% to 44.2%, a change of 17.0%.

Obstetrics Indicator 2.1 Vaginal delivery following primary caesarean section The total number of women delivering vaginally following a previous primary caesarean section has declined as a result of changes in clinical practice. The rates have declined from 18.4% in 2001 to 11.6% in 2008.

Analyses reveal that the desirable rates do not cluster in specific HCOs but that both desirable and undesirable rates occur in the majority of HCOs. This confirms that the data cannot be used to compare one organisation to another.

"It is pleasing to note that the average number of indicators reported annually has increased from 21 in 2001 to 30.2 in 2008, suggesting that organisations have improved their willingness and ability to measure the care they provide," concluded Mr Johnston.

The report can be accessed at the ACHS website at www.achs.org.au

Media information: ACHS Communications Manager, Megan Taylor, 0416.280.826


SOURCE: Australian Council on Healthcare Standards