Performance measurement through audit, feedback, and profiling as tools for improving clinical care

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Medical Practice Analysis
• Physician Performance Measurement

Background:

• Clinical audits and practice profiling are widely used to influence physician behavior and enhance healthcare quality.
• The demand for quality of care data often exceeds the development of reliable measurement tools.
• Existing literature shows inconsistent effects of performance measurement on clinical care improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of clinical audits and practice profiling in improving physician behavior and quality of care.
• To assess the current state of scientific evidence regarding performance measurement in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on clinical audits and practice profiling.
• Analysis of studies examining the impact of performance measurement on clinical care.
• Evaluation of the methodological rigor of published research, including randomized controlled trials.

Main Results:

• Performance measurement tools have shown varying degrees of success in improving clinical care.
• Few studies employ rigorous methodologies like randomized controlled trials.
• The scientific basis for performance measurement is still developing.

Conclusions:

• While performance measurement is common, its scientific foundation is nascent and largely experimental.
• Further research with robust methodologies is needed to establish reliable approaches.
• The impact of these tools on quality of care requires more empirical validation.