Question

Why are quality measurements used ?

Answer 1

What Does Quality Measurement Require?

A quality measurement tool must:

Be objective.Be based on scientific evidence.Not affect or distort results.

In health care quality measurement today, expert consensus is often used to reach agreement on precise definitions and measurement specifications. In developing a quality measure, it must be tested to ensure that it is:

Reliable. Use of the tool results in the same reading regardless of who does the measuring or when and where the measurement is taken.Valid. The tool measures what is intended.Standardized. Definitions of data elements, data collection, and data analyses are sufficiently precise and comprehensible that they can be understood and applied in the same way regardless of who refers to or applies them.

The further a measure is from these ideal technical conditions, the greater the difficulty will be in using the measurement information to compare health plan or program results or in answering specific questions about the health care being provided.