title: Evaluating the validity of quality indicators for colorectal cancer care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quality indicators (QI) have been developed to measure quality of colorectal cancer care in the Netherlands. The aim of this study is to evaluate if these QI consistently assess the quality of colorectal cancer care in a hospital (internal consistency) and if these QI correlate with each other (construct validity).
  
  
  METHODS
  The performance of 85 hospitals participating in the Dutch Surgical Colorectal Audit between the 1st of January 2010 and 31st of December 2010, were evaluated on nine QI: three process indicators for colon cancer, three process indicators for rectal cancer and three outcome indicators. Consistency between all process indicators was assessed, and correlations between all process and outcome indicators were evaluated for colon and rectal cancer care separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hospital performance on the nine QI ranged widely. There was little consistency between the process indicators in assessing hospital performance. Most evaluated process indicators for colorectal cancer care did not correlate with each other, but were associated with better hospital specific patient outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  QI on colorectal cancer care do provide complementary information. Individual QI are not suitable as a surrogate measure for the quality of colorectal cancer care. More comprehensive measures are needed for true assessment of hospital performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gea A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gooiker
authors.forename: Nikki E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Kolfschoten
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bastiaannet
authors.forename: Cornelis J H
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: van de Velde
authors.forename: Eric H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Eddes
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van der Harst
authors.forename: Theo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wiggers
authors.forename: Frits R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Rosendaal
authors.forename: Rob A E M
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Tollenaar
authors.forename: Michel W J M
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Wouters
mesh_terms: D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality / Q000592:standards; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: benchmarking; outcome assessment health care; quality assurance health care