title: Measuring quality.
abstract: It is no longer sufficient for health care professionals to provide high quality health care, they must also be able to demonstrate that they are meeting and often exceeding quality targets. Quality indicators (QIs) provide a means of measuring and assessing quality, however there are advantages and disadvantages of indicator measurement. Further, the clinical perspective needs to be balanced against managerial control when developing valid, reliable, sensitive and specific QIs. While indicators do not represent a perfect measurement device, they may provide a useful tool for improving patient safety and meeting community expectations.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Research Excellence in Patient Safety, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC.
authors.forename: Cameron D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Johannes U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Stoelwinder
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*