Developing an Australian multi-module clinical quality registry for gynaecological cancers: a protocol paper

IntroductionGynaecological cancers collectively account for almost 10% of cancer diagnoses made in Australian women. The extent of variation in gynaecological cancer survival rates and treatment outcomes across Australia is not well documented. The purpose of the clinical quality registry described in this paper is to systematically monitor and improve quality of care provided to these women, and facilitate clinical process improvements to ensure better patient outcomes and greater adherence to best practice care. The registry infrastructure has been developed in conjunction alongside the inaugural ovarian, tubal and peritoneal (OTP) module, allowing for concurrent piloting of the methodology and one module. Additional tumour modules will be developed in time to cover the other gynaecological tumour types.Method and analysisThe National Gynae-Oncology Registry (NGOR) aims to capture clinical data on all newly diagnosed cancers of the uterus, ovary, fallopian tubes, peritoneum, cervix, vulva and vagina in Australia with a view to using these data to support improved clinical care and increased adherence to ‘best practice’. Data are sourced from existing clinical databases maintained by clinicians and/or hospital gynaecological cancer units. A pilot phase incorporating only OTP cancers has recently been conducted to assess the feasibility of the registry methodology and assess the support of a quality initiative of this nature among clinicians and other key stakeholders.Ethics and disseminationThe NGOR has received National Mutual Acceptance (NMA) ethics approval from Monash Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), NMA HREC Reference Number: HREC/17/MonH/198. We also have approval from Mercy Health HREC and University of Tasmania HREC. Data will be routinely reported back to participating sites illustrating their performance against measures of agreed best practice. It is through this feedback system that the registry will support changes to quality of care and improved patient outcomes.

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Changing diabetes® barometer: A global quality monitoring framework for improving patient outcomes

Journal of Social Health and Diabetes ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1676181 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 01 (01) ◽

pp. 044-047

Author(s):

Pavika Jain ◽

Niels Aamand

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Care ◽

Patient Outcomes ◽

Diabetes Care ◽

Best Practice ◽

Diabetes Management ◽

Global Perspective ◽

Quality Monitoring ◽

Good Practices ◽

Quality Of Diabetes Care

This article has a global perspective and includes examples from several continents i.e. Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. The Changing Diabetes® Barometer (CDB) is a Novo Nordisk initiative that works as a worldwide quality monitoring system for diabetes management to measure the gains made in the fight against diabetes focusing on quality of care and patient outcomes. CDB provides a platform for countries to share local diabetes data and good practices. In doing so it aims to disseminate improved practices of care. CDB is conceptualised as a framework that can help change diabetes. Its three cornerstones are “Measure, Share, Improve” (MSI):• MEASURE the quality of diabetes care through patient outcomes and care processes.• SHARE data on the quality of diabetes care and good practices with all relevant stakeholders.• IMPROVE the quality of diabetes care by identifying and actively spreading good practices in diabetes care and inspire others to adopt and follow best practice examples.Italy and Algeria both constitute best practice examples of CDB initiatives. In Italy a registry solution is already solidly implemented and improvements in patient outcomes have been documented. The initiative in Algeria has recently been initiated including establishment of IT equipment in participating clinics to ensure all relevant measurements. This will enable transparency on current level of quality of diabetes care. Both initiatives have the common goal of driving improvements in quality of care and patient outcomes across clinics. India is another good example where data is collected through the CDB aimed at driving improvement of diabetes care in order to improve quality of life for people with diabetes. CDB in India is implemented in five states (Goa, Bihar, Gujarat, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh) and is planned to be expanded to five additional states.

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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Gastroenterologist's Perspective

Perspectives on Voice and Voice Disorders ◽

10.1044/vvd21.3.89 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 89-99

Author(s):

Michael F. Vaezi

Keyword(s):

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease ◽

Gastroesophageal Reflux ◽

Reflux Disease ◽

Best Practice ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Diagnostic Testing ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Swallowing Function ◽

Atypical Symptoms

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a commonly diagnosed condition often associated with the typical symptoms of heartburn and regurgitation, although it may present with atypical symptoms such as chest pain, hoarseness, chronic cough, and asthma. In most cases, the patient's reduced quality of life drives clinical care and diagnostic testing. Because of its widespread impact on voice and swallowing function as well as its social implications, it is important that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) understand the nature of GERD and its consequences. The purpose of this article is to summarize the nature of GERD and GERD-related complications such as GERD-related peptic stricture, Barrett's esophagus and adenocarcinoma, and laryngeal manifestations of GERD from a gastroenterologist's perspective. It is critical that SLPs who work with a multidisciplinary team understand terminology, diagnostic tools, and treatment to ensure best practice.

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Client Satisfaction and Experience With Telepsychiatry: Development and Validation of a Survey Using Clinical Quality Domains (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.19198 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eva Serhal ◽

Anne Kirvan ◽

Marcos Sanches ◽

Allison Crawford

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Quality Care ◽

Clinical Intervention ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Clinical Quality ◽

Survey Tool ◽

Development And Validation

BACKGROUND Telepsychiatry is an increasingly used model of mental health care that connects patients with psychiatrists at a distance via videoconference. Telepsychiatry is an effective clinical intervention that improves access to quality care in regions with limited resources or in clinical situations where in-person care is unavailable. OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop a validated survey tool to measure patient experience and satisfaction with telepsychiatry based on the quality of care domains. This study also seeks to understand which health service outcomes were most strongly correlated with overall satisfaction in the context of telepsychiatry. METHODS The survey created in this study was developed and validated with a panel of subject matter and process experts and was piloted with 274 patients who received clinical consultations through the TeleMental Health Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Factor analysis was used to determine correlations between questions and quality of care domains and was also used to assess model fit. RESULTS The study provides a validated survey to measure patient satisfaction and experience with telepsychiatry across 4 domains: access and timeliness, appropriateness, effectiveness, and safety. Both safety and access and timeliness were found to be statistically significant predictors of satisfaction in our sample. CONCLUSIONS By situating patient satisfaction and experience within this framework, the survey facilitates patient data collection and interpretation through a clinical quality lens.

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Abstract P352: Racial Disparity in Post-stroke Readmission - a South Carolina Perspective

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.137.suppl_1.p352 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Pratik Y Chhatbar ◽

Jihad S Obeid ◽

Daniel T Lackland ◽

Suzanne P Burns ◽

Joy N Buie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Carolina ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

African Americans ◽

Racial Disparity ◽

Clinical Care ◽

University Of South Carolina ◽

Readmission Rates ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Medical University

Background: Readmissions after acute hospitalizations are a cause of both risk and expense, and many of them are potentially preventable. Importantly, risk-standardized hospital readmission rates are sometimes used as a yardstick of the quality of care offered. However, racial variability in readmissions might involve factors beyond quality of care and has not been studied extensively. During our pilot investigation using 90-day post-stroke readmissions data at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), we found significant disparities between African Americans and Caucasians. Objective: To identify differences in readmissions between African Americans and other races and determine preventable readmissions from a pragmatic viewpoint. Methods: We obtained deidentified data from Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW). The data was comprised of three institutions: Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Palmetto Health and Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center. The data consisted of on adult admissions with index diagnosis considered as an ischemic stroke (or closely related) using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision (ICD-9, ICD-10) codes between January 2011 and April 2017. Of these, we will determine readmission and reason for readmission over 90-day period. Readmission can be hospital or emergency room readmission. Results: Our database contains 32,548 patients who have been provided clinical care for stroke. Out of these patients 8,308 (25.5%), 23,085 (70.9%) and 1,155 (3.5%) are African Americans, Caucasians and others, respectively. We will present weekly readmission trends over 90 days and evaluate if there are disparities across races. We will apply chi-square test and Student’s t-test to determine statistical significance. For weekly readmission trends over 90 days, we will apply Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to identify difference in readmission patterns across races. We will also identify confounders like socioeconomic status and age and their influence in the racial disparity. Conclusions: From a single center retrospective data, we found that 90-days readmission rates involve African Americans in a disproportionate manner. This multicenter data analysis will further shed light on the etiology of readmission, confounders and the care offered.

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The protocol of a clinical quality registry for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI): the Australian dementia network (ADNeT) Registry

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-020-01741-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaoping Lin ◽

Kasey Wallis ◽

Stephanie A. Ward ◽

Henry Brodaty ◽

Perminder S. Sachdev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Patient Outcomes ◽

Steering Committee ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Clinical Quality ◽

Quality Registry ◽

People With Dementia ◽

Diagnosis Of Dementia

Abstract Background Dementia was identified as a priority area for the development of a Clinical Quality Registry (CQR) in Australia in 2016. The Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT) Registry is being established as part of the ADNeT initiative, with the primary objective of collecting data to monitor and enhance the quality of care and patient outcomes for people diagnosed with either dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). A secondary aim is to facilitate the recruitment of participants into dementia research and trials. This paper describes the Registry protocol. Methods The ADNeT Registry is a prospective CQR of patients newly diagnosed with either dementia or MCI. Eligible patients will be identified initially from memory clinics and individual medical specialists (e.g., geriatricians, psychiatrists and neurologists) involved in the diagnosis of dementia. Participants will be recruited using either an opt-out approach or waiver of consent based on three key determinants (capacity, person responsible, and communication of diagnosis). Data will be collected from four sources: participating sites, registry participants, carers, and linkage with administrative datasets. It is anticipated that the Registry will recruit approximately 10,000 participants by the end of 2023. The ADNeT registry will be developed and implemented to comply with the national operating principles for CQRs and governed by the ADNeT Registry Steering Committee. Discussion The ADNeT Registry will provide important data on current clinical practice in the diagnosis, treatment and care of people with dementia and MCI in Australia as well as long-term outcomes among these people. These data will help to identify variations in clinical practice and patient outcomes and reasons underlying these variations, which in turn, will inform the development of interventions to improve care and outcomes for people with dementia and MCI.

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Variation in clinical care associated with weekend admission and discharge in psychiatric in-patient units: retrospective case-note review

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2020.88 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Ryan Williams ◽

Lorna Farquharson ◽

Ellen Rhodes ◽

Mary Dang ◽

Natasha Lindsay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Care ◽

Psychiatric Hospital ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Case Note ◽

Weekend Effect ◽

Standards Of Care ◽

Retrospective Case ◽

Case Note Review

Background Questions have been raised regarding differences in the standards of care that patients receive when they are admitted to or discharged from in-patient units at weekends. Aims To compare the quality of care received by patients with anxiety and depressive disorders who were admitted to or discharged from psychiatric hospital at weekends with those admitted or discharged during the ‘working week’. Method Retrospective case-note review of 3795 admissions to in-patient psychiatric wards in England. Quality of care received by people with depressive or anxiety disorders was compared using multivariable regression analyses. Results In total, 795 (20.9%) patients were admitted at weekends and 157 (4.8%) were discharged at weekends. There were minimal differences in quality of care between those admitted at weekends and those admitted during the week. Patients discharged at weekends were less likely to be given sufficient notification (48 h) in advance of being discharged (OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.39–0.78), to have a crisis plan in place (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.46–0.92) or to be given medication to take home (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.30–0.66). They were also less likely to have been assessed using a validated outcome measure (OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.50–0.97). Conclusions There is no evidence of a ‘weekend effect’ for patients admitted to psychiatric hospital at weekends, but the quality of care offered to those who were discharged at weekends was relatively poor, highlighting the need for improvement in this area.

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Overpriced? Are Hospital Prices Associated with the Quality of Care?

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8020135 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 135

Author(s):

Brad Beauvais ◽

Glen Gilson ◽

Steve Schwab ◽

Brittany Jaccaud ◽

Taylor Pearce ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Performance Score ◽

Significant Positive Association ◽

The Public ◽

Total Performance

In most consumer markets, higher prices generally imply increased quality. For example, in the automobile, restaurant, hospitality, and airline industries, higher pricing generally conveys a signal of complexity and superiority of a service or product. However, in the healthcare industry, there is room to challenge the price-quality connection as both health prices and health quality can be difficult to interpret. In the best of circumstances, health care costs, prices, and quality can often be difficult to isolate and measure. Recent efforts by the Trump Administration and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have required the pricing of hospital services to be more transparent. Specifically, hospital chargemaster (retail) prices must now be available to the public. However, many continue to question if the pricing of health care services reflects the quality of service delivery. This research focuses on investigating the prices hospitals charge for their services in relation to the costs incurred and the association with the quality of care provided. By analyzing data from a nationwide sample of U.S. hospitals, this study considers the relationship between hospital pricing (as measured by the charge-to-cost ratio) and hospital quality performance as measured by the Value Based Purchasing Total Performance Score (TPS) and its associated sub-domains. Results of the study indicate that hospital prices, as measured by our primary independent variable of interest, the charge-to-cost ratio, are significantly and negatively associated with Total Performance Score, Patient Experience, and the Efficiency and Cost Reduction domains. A marginal statistically significant positive association is shown in the Clinical Care domain. The findings indicate that unlike most other industries, in medicine, higher pricing compared to cost does not necessarily associate with higher quality and, in fact, might indicate the opposite. The results of this study suggest that purchasers of healthcare, at all levels, have justification in challenging the pricing of healthcare services considering the quality scores available in the public domain.

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Review: Relation Between Quality-of-Care Indicators for Diabetes and Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Literature Review

Medical Care Research and Review ◽

10.1177/1077558710394200 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 68 (3) ◽

pp. 263-289 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Grigory Sidorenkov ◽

Flora M Haaijer-Ruskamp ◽

Dick de Zeeuw ◽

Henk Bilo ◽

Petra Denig

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Care ◽

Literature Review ◽

Patient Outcomes ◽

Systematic Literature Review

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Perspectives of Public and Private Primary Healthcare Users in Two Regions of Albania on Non-Clinical Quality of Care

Journal of Primary Care & Community Health ◽

10.1177/2150132720970350 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 215013272097035

Author(s):

Jonila Gabrani ◽

Christian Schindler ◽

Kaspar Wyss

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Care ◽

Primary Healthcare ◽

Outpatient Clinics ◽

Ageing Population ◽

Coordination Of Care ◽

Public And Private ◽

Clinical Quality ◽

Private Providers ◽

Better Than

Background: Aiming to tackle the rise of non-communicable diseases and an ageing population, Albania is engaged in boosting primary healthcare services and quality of care. The patients’ perspectives on their experience with public and private providers are, however, missing, although their viewpoints are critical while shaping the developing services. Consequently, we analyze perceptions of users of primary healthcare as it relates to non-clinical quality of care and the association to sociodemographic characteristics of patients and the type of provider. Methods: A facility-based survey was conducted in 2018 using the World Health Organization responsiveness questionnaire which is based on a 4-point scale along with 8 non-clinical domains of quality of care. The data of 954 patients were analyzed through descriptive statistics and linear mixed regression models. Results: Similar mean values were reported on total scale of the quality of care for private and public providers, also after sociodemographic adjustments. The highest mean score was reported for the domain “communication” (3.75) followed by “dignity” (3.65), while the lowest mean scores were given for “choice” (2.89) and “prompt attention” (3.00). Urban governmental PHC services were rated significantly better than private outpatient clinics in “coordination of care” (2.90 vs 2.12, P < .001). In contrast, private outpatient clinics were judged significantly better than urban PHC clinics in “confidentiality” (3.77 vs 3.38, P = .04) and “quality of basic amenities” (3.70 vs 3.02, P < .001). “Autonomy” was reported as least important attribute of quality. Conclusion: While the perception of non-clinical care quality was found to be high and similar for public and private providers, promptness and coordination of care require attention to meet patient’s expectations on good quality of care. There is a need to raise the awareness on autonomy and the involvement of patients’ aspects concerning their health.

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Measuring The Quality Of Cancer Care In The Barwon South Western Region, Victoria, Australia

International Journal for Quality in Health Care ◽

10.1093/intqhc/mzaa145 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Leigh M Matheson ◽

Graham Pitson ◽

Cheng Hon Yap ◽

Madhu Singh ◽

Ian Collins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Health Services ◽

Quality Indicators ◽

Cancer Care ◽

Population Based ◽

Western Region ◽

Clinical Indicators ◽

Clinical Quality ◽

Quality Registry

ABSTRACT Objective The implementation of clinical quality indicators for monitoring cancer care in regional, rural and remote areas. Design Retrospective data from a population-based Clinical Quality Registry for lung, colorectal, and breast cancer. Setting All major Health Services in the Barwon South Western Region, Victoria, Australia. Participants All patients diagnosed with cancer presenting to a Health Service Intervention(s) Main Outcome Measures(s) Clinical Quality Indicators for Lung, Colorectal and Breast Cancer Results Clinical indicators included the following: discussion at multidisciplinary meetings, timeliness of care provided, type of care for different stages of the disease and survival outcomes. Many of the derived clinical indicator targets were reached. However, variation led to improvement in tumour stage being recorded in the medical record; improved awareness of the need for adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer; a reduction in time to treatment for lung cancer; reduced time to surgery for breast cancer; and highlighted the 30 day mortality post treatment for all of the tumour streams. Conclusions Clinical quality indicators allow for valuable insights into patterns of care, driving improvement in the quality of cancer care. These indicators are easily reproduced and may be of use to other cancer centres and health services.

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