Quality and its measurement

Abstract

The concept of assessing or measuring the quality of clinical care has to date not been an integral part of Australian hospital culture. Assessing and measuring quality of clinical care in a way that enables it to be quantified is an essential ingredient for quality improvement. While indirect measures, familiar enough in hospitals, are available they are rarely seen as techniques for assessing the quality of care. Technology that has now been available for the past 10-15 years involves making judgements by using medical record data compared with a matrix of outcome and process criteria. This approach makes quantification of quality possible. The methodology employed, Structured Quality Review (a term devised by Wilson and Goldschmidt), is described. Quality Standards in Medicine, a commercial product embracing Structured Quality Review, is described as a tool for assessing the quality of clinical care and measuring quality improvement.