Fellow researchers,
I am looking for an article (review?) that investigates if quick/timely/near real-time reporting of health care quality data for benchmarking / quality improvement purposes results in higher acceptance of such data by providers.
I want to make the argument that if you want to use such data for quality management you need to have it quickly, ie not wait for months/years before reprots are published. Reviews that I found emphasize all sorts of contextual factors for the success of quality improvement interventions in healthcare but not timeliness of reporting. Can anybody help? Many thanks!
One perspective of Quality is QCD.(Quantity, cost and delivery.) documentation is an important attribute for studying the outputs for suitable analysis; data ==> information ==> knowledge.
obviously QCD of data is equally important, in fitness to the requirement of corrective or improvement oriented stimulus.
the data should be available JIT. (as you say quickly, ie not wait for months/years).
As you posit "contextual factors for the success of quality improvement interventions in healthcare but not timeliness of reporting." the inclusion is drivers of quality maintenance or constructs is worthwhile.
One way our hospital tackles this issue is to report measures, such as infections, falls, mortality, etc. on a monthly basis. Our quality management department sends a time series report to our senior leaders. It is at this point, the hospital can see what areas they might need to address.
Now, the quality practitioner in me says this is not timely enough. I would prefer to monitor events as they happen. This comes from my experience in public health and analyzing hospital infection control data. One method would be to track events as they occur via a control chart. Here is an example from Benneyan, who proposed this method to track rare events in healthcare:
http://www1.coe.neu.edu/~benneyan/papers/iche_part1.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13679496_Statistical_Quality_Control_Methods_in_Infection_Control_and_Hospital_Epidemiology_Part_II_Chart_Use_Statistical_Properties_and_Research_Issues
http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/12/6/458.long
For those that do have access to the software that can make these charts. I proposed a user-friendly method:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312405342_Assessment_of_ventilator-associated_events_using_the_geometric_distribution
Article Statistical Quality Control Methods in Infection Control and...
Article Assessment of ventilator-associated events using the geometr...
Many thanks for your suggestions! This is of particular importance when we deal with (relatively) rare events and needs to be considered when making statements about changes in the frequency of incidence.
Do you know of any piece of research that emphazises the need for timely reporting of such or benchmark data? Like: Timely reporting results / is associated with quicker improvement of processes (or acceptance or satisfaction with the reporting system)?
Dear Christoph Kowalski, it is not exactly what you are asking for (i.e., a review or study reporting on the increased acceptance or satisfaction with the reporting system) but 'timelines' and 'punctuality' in the provision of analytical data is considered as a quality criteria for any monitoring system (even more so in the case of clinical performance analysis systems).
As an example, the Eurostat Quality Assurance Framework establish both 'timeliness' and 'punctuality in the delivery of metrics' as their 13 principle (page 30, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/64157/4372717/Eurostat-QAF-V1-2.pdf) defining 'timeliness' as 'the availability of the information needed to take action at the appropriate moment of decision making', meaning that there has not necessary to be from a precise period, but be ready and available to the professional (i.e., health or otherwise) to facilitate an informed decision. In clinical settings, is established depending on contextual needs. One of the best examples you could use to argue your point is to follow the analogy of the laboratory test in the emergency care as an information system allowing timely decision making based on current data on the patient, thus promoting action to change an urgent situation. This example can be extended to other health information systems already mentioned in the other answers above.
Similarly, 'punctuality' to deliver those metrics following a predefined delivery plan is also stated as a data quality principle as it sets the expectative of the user of the information system on the data availability within acceptable margins, facilitating the use of the information provided.
Both 'timeliness' and 'punctuality' are quality dimensions that you should take into account when trying to create an information system to be useful in the clinical context.
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/64157/4372717/Eurostat-QAF-V1-2.pdf