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Measure, learn, and improve: physicians' involvement in quality improvement
Anne-Marie J Audet1, Michelle M Doty, Jamil Shamasdin
1Commonwealth Fund, New York City, NY, USA. ama@cmwf.org
Health Affairs (Project Hope)
|May 12, 2005
Summary
Most physicians do not use quality improvement (QI) methods, despite their use by payers and accreditors. Accelerating physician adoption requires infrastructure, professionalism, knowledge, and skills development for better healthcare quality.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Medical Professionalism
- Quality Improvement Science
Background:
- Quality improvement (QI) methods are increasingly adopted by healthcare payers, accreditors, and consumers.
- However, the extent of physician engagement with QI practices remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the current adoption and utilization of quality improvement (QI) methods among physicians.
- To identify factors influencing physician participation in QI activities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from a 2003 national physician survey.
- Analyzed physician self-reported engagement in QI methods, data use for performance assessment, and participation in redesign activities.
Main Results:
- A majority of physicians do not routinely use data to assess performance or share such data.
- Physician participation in QI redesign activities is infrequent.
- Physicians in larger, salaried group practices are more likely to engage in QI.
Conclusions:
- The science of QI is institutionalized but not yet professionalized within the medical field.
- Enhancing physician adoption of QI necessitates robust infrastructure, alongside focused efforts on professionalism, knowledge, and skills development.