The Commission develops Clinical Care Standards to ensure that patients with the specific conditions are optimally managed and/or treated for their condition. Accompanying the Clinical Care Standards are indicators to support clinical teams and health services to collect data to assess how well they are adhering to the Clinical Care Standards.
Since 2013, HPA has been engaged to developed indicators for the Commission’s Clinical Care Standards in the following areas:
- Delirium
- Acute coronary syndromes
- Stroke
- Hip Fracture Care
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Colonoscopy
- Venous thromboembolism
- Sepsis
- Opioid stewardship
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
Our approach
In each instance, indicators were developed in conjunction with the Commission and with Topic Working Groups established for each of the clinical areas. The steps have usually involved:
- Literature search on indicator specifications for similar standards (Australian and international).
- Compilation and critical assessment of indicators for each quality statement.
- Clinical/ expert input into selection of a candidate set of indicators (i.e. the Topic Working Group).
- Development of detailed specifications for indicators, including documenting the evidence base.
- Feedback from the Topic Working Group on the initial specifications.
- Public consultation on the specifications.
- Assessment of feedback provided through public consultation and further review of indicators, resulting in recommendations to the Topic Working Group.
- Finalisation of the indicators based on final review by the Topic Working Group.
In addition to developing the indicators, HPA has uploaded many of the indicator sets in the AIHW’s metadata repository – METeOR. For some of the indicator sets, HPA also worked with the AIHW and national data governance groups to endorse them as national standards.
Outcome
The indicators for each of the Clinical Care Standards have promoted consistent and standardised measurement of health services’ adherence to Clinical Care Standards and allowed identification of areas requiring improvement at a local level.
