The NAPPH (National Association of Private Psychiatric Hospitals) critical indicator project

The National Association of Private Psychiatric Hospitals (NAPPH) initiated the Critical Indicator Project in 1986 to develop measures of quality and other important clinical aspects of inpatient psychiatric treatment. The tools used to collect data have undergone extensive refinements, and the data collected have been analyzed by researchers and clinicians. After careful review, in January 1990 the NAPPH Board of Trustees endorsed full implementation of the Critical Indicator Project in all member hospitals. This paper describes the project and its current major implications.