A national clinical indicator database: issues of reliability and validity

The introduction of performance (clinical) indicators into the accreditation process by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards is in keeping with global trends and has enabled the establishment of a National Aggregate Database reflecting standards of care in acute health care organisations. The database contains both quantitative and qualitative information on the processes and outcomes of patient care and changes in practice induced through indicator monitoring. Of fundamental importance to the integrity of the database are the issues of indicator validity, responsiveness and reliability. This paper considers these issues, drawing parallels, as appropriate, to other performance indicator programs and studies.