International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care
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Int J Qual Health Care · Jun 2000
ReviewClinical indicators in accreditation: an effective stimulus to improve patient care.
The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) established the Care Evaluation Program (CEP) of clinical performance measures in its accreditation program to increase the clinical component of that program and to increase medical practitioner involvement in formal quality activities in their health care organizations. From the introduction of a set of generic indicators in 1993 the program expanded through all of the various medical disciplines and from January 2000 there will be 18 sets (well over 200 indicators) in the program. More than half of Australia's acute hospitals (covering the majority of patient separations) are monitoring the indicators and reporting clinical data twice yearly to the ACHS. ⋯ The program remains unique in the scope of the medical disciplines covered and in the formal provider involvement with indicator development. Both the clinical component of accreditation and clinician involvement in quality activities have been increased in an educational process. However, not all of the indicators are of equal value and a reduction in the number of indicators to a 'core' group of the most reliable and responsive ones is in process.