title: [Performance Assessment Tool for Quality Improvement in Hospitals (PATH): first experiences in Croatia].
abstract: PATH (Performance Assessment Tool for Quality Improvement in Hospitals), a project of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe offers hospitals a comprehensive and standardized tool (a set of indicators) to evaluate their own performance and development of measures for quality improvement. PATH Program was launched in Croatia in 2008, and it was conducted in 2009 in hospitals that have voluntarily decided to be involved. Here we present the results of the first phase of pilot experience of establishing the program, based on data collected in 22 Croatian hospitals. Analysis of the first results indicated the existence of marked differences among the hospitals that have taken the example of the percentage of cesarean sections ranging from 1.1% to 21.4%. The mortality rate of myocardial infarction ranged from 1.9 to 21.4%, while the mortality of stroke ranged from 12.5 to 45.5%. The highest percentage of needle-stick injuries reported for physicians was 16.2% of entire hospital staff in one year, 6.1% for nurses and 4.6% for the supportive staff. The result suggests the existence of many problems and limitations in data collection at hospital level, limitations in their analysis and creates recommendations for quality improvements, which must be taken into account when hospitals are compared on the national or international level.
authors.affiliation: Hrvatski zavod za transfuzijsku medicinu, bolnicka transfuzijska jedinica pri KB Merkur. jasna.mesaric@mef.hr
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mesarić
authors.forename: Slavka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bogdan
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bosanac
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozić
authors.forename: Dubravka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cvorisćec
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grdinić
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krapinec
authors.forename: Ljiljana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kucljak-Susak
authors.forename: Darko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Labura
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loncarić-Katusin
authors.forename: Visnja
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mihalić-Mikuljan
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mihaljević
authors.forename: Anto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oresković
authors.forename: Radmir
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rakun
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ruzić
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sokolić
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Striber
authors.forename: Kata
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakić
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sklebar
authors.forename: Davor
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stimac
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vidović
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vrkljan-Radosević
authors.forename: Drazen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zekanović
authors.forename: Ozren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Polasek
mesh_terms: D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017523:Croatia; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D058996:Quality Improvement; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care