Measuring outcomes in surgical patients

The current emphasis on quality of healthcare, cost effectiveness, and consumer satisfaction demands a better understanding of the relationship between the process of care and the outcomes of care. As patients become more active in defining healthcare quality, outcome measures are becoming increasingly patient focused. To meet these new demands for understanding the process-outcomes relationship, there exists a tremendous need for physician involvement in developing outcomes assessment programs. Such programs are best designed through the cooperative efforts of clinicians and outcomes statisticians. Advances in outcomes assessment will require a combination of increased precision in measurement, greater analysis of outliers, and the development of computerized repositories of clinical and health status data.