Hospital falls to avoidable deaths are amongst 17 proposed new quality indicators now out for consultation.
The consultation document was released this week by the Health Quality and Safety Commission and feedback is sought by mid-September with the aim of publishing the new set of national indicators by the end of the year.
The commission says the aim of the new indicators to develop a set of “credible, robust and reliable” quality and safety indicators to provide a “clear picture of the quality and safety” of health and disability services and to identify key areas where improvement is needed.
Twelve of the 17 proposed indicators are described as “fast track” as there is an existing tested indicator with good availability of data. These include hospital cancelling of elective surgery, amenable (avoidable) mortality of under 75-year-olds, mental health re-admissions, vaccination of two-year-olds and number of hospital days during last six months of life.
Plus two financial indicators looking at measuring health care costs per capita and health care expenditure as a proportion of GDP (gross domestic product).
A further five indicators are described as “under-development” and these include safety measurements: the number of falls in hospitals resulting in harm; health care acquired infection; surgical harm; and safe medication management. The fifth is a chronic conditions measurement for cardiovascular disease management.
Other potential indicators are described as “placeholders” as they still required “significant further work” to develop an indicator and to be able to collect national data. Amongst these are pressure ulcers acquired in hospitals and measuring diabetes management.
The proposed indicators are drawn from existing district health board (DHB) and primary health organisation (PHO) quality and productivity indicators, the commission’s own quality improvement programmes and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Whole System Measures system.
The full consultation document can be viewed at the commission’s website: www.hqsc.govt.nz
