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Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills

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Published on: April 23, 2014

Does the Veterans Affairs depression performance measure predict quality care?

Brian Shiner¹, Bradley V Watts, Marcy K Traum

¹Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont, USA. brian.r.shiner@dartmouth.edu

Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety

|April 20, 2011

Summary

High-performing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sites adhered to depression care processes more than low-performing sites. This study validated a model for assessing depression care quality in the VA healthcare system.

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Published on: April 26, 2024

Area of Science:

Health Services Research
Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Mental Health Services Evaluation

Background:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented a depression care quality measure in 2000.
This measure was removed in FY2009 due to lack of empirical validation.
A need existed to compare the VA measure with a validated model for assessing depression care.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the VA depression performance measure with an empirically validated model for assessing depression care quality.
To evaluate adherence to evidence-based depression care processes.

Main Methods:

Selected VA medical centers (VAMCs) in the top or bottom quartile for the VA depression measure in FY2008.
Conducted telephone interviews with clinical directors using an adapted 3-Component Model (3CM) fidelity scale.
Assessed adherence to key domains of evidence-based depression care.

Main Results:

Significant differences in patient adherence to the VA depression measure between high- and low-performing groups (47.5% vs. 14.7%).
The 3CM fidelity scale detected significant differences in depression care processes between high- and low-performing sites (82.3 vs. 71.4).

Conclusions:

High-performing sites on the VA depression measure demonstrated better adherence to important depression care processes.
The 3CM fidelity measure effectively differentiated between high- and low-performing sites in depression care quality.