The Quality Improvement committee is identifying indicators as measure

QUESTION

The Quality Improvement committee is identifying indicators as measures of health care. What should the committee identify as characteristics of quality indicators? (Select all that apply.)

1. Identify nurses’ roles
2. Readily available data
3. Focus on priority areas
4. Scientifically acceptable
5. Useful for decision making

ANSWER:

Correct Answer: 2, 3, 4, 5

The National Quality Forum endorses a wide range of quality indicators as measures of health care and has established specific criteria. Quality indicators should be: Important to measure and report to keep our focus on priority areas, where the evidence is highest that measurement can have a positive impact on healthcare quality. Scientifically acceptable so that the measure, when implemented, will produce consistent (reliable) and credible (valid) results about the quality of care. Useable and relevant to ensure that intended users—consumers, purchasers, providers, and policy makers—can understand the results of the measure, and are likely to find them useful for quality improvement and decision making. Feasible to collect with data that can be readily available for measurement and retrievable without undue burden. Nurses’ roles are not criteria when identifying characteristics of quality indicators.