Assessment of Quality Indicators with QUALIFY: General Principles
For the assessment of quality indicators using QUALIFY one proceeds as follows:
- Definition of the assessment’s objectives using QUALIFY. This step supports a goal oriented approach to the assessment.
- Designation of the expert committee and the moderator (who participates in the discussion but does not vote). Patient representatives should absolutely be included in the assessment process.
- Explanation of the methodology used in defining the information base of an assessment and for the actual assessment process.
- Selection of criteria from the entire list which are relevant to the objectives. If individual criteria are not assessed, an explicit justification must be given.
- Definition of the rules guiding the decision process, after which individual results will be synthesized, leading to an acceptance or rejection of individual quality indicators for that particular objective.
- Assessment of quality indicators.
During the assessment of quality indicators the following aspects should be taken into consideration:
- The assessment follows a stepwise procedure. For practical reasons it makes sense to apply the criteria of relevance first. It is only worthwhile for relevant quality indicators to do a possibly extensive assessment of the scientific soundness of a quality indicator. Lastly, the practicability of the quality indicators can be evaluated, for example, the data availability. The sequence of the assessment can be varied as needed; the result of the assessment is not affected by it.
- It is advisable to evaluate the selected criteria successively (in order).
- Before using a criterion from the QUALIFY instrument, one must make sure that all evaluators have understood the definition, the core statement and the information base provided.
- The assessment takes place anonymously and without consulting with other members of the assessment team. This ensures equal representation of all members.
The special proceedings for each criterion are described in detail in the following chapters. Practical hints for the application of the instrument are also provided there.
