Assessing quality improvement capacity in primary care practices.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Quality Improvement Science
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Healthy Hearts Northwest (H2N) study focused on external support for quality improvement (QI) capacity in primary care.
• Key areas included cardiovascular risk factors: aspirin use, blood pressure control, and tobacco screening/cessation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of the Quality Improvement Capacity Assessment (QICA) tool.
• To examine the association between QICA scores, practice characteristics, and clinical quality measures (CQMs) for cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Methods:

• Experts identified seven QI capacity domains and mapped a validated assessment tool.
• Practice facilitators used the Quality Improvement Capacity Assessment (QICA) with primary care practices.
• Associations between QICA scores, practice change experience, and CQMs were analyzed.

Main Results:

• QICA scores showed moderate associations with aspirin use (r=0.16) and blood pressure control (r=0.18).
• Prior experience in managing practice change was linked to higher QICA scores.
• Rural practices and those with 2-5 clinicians reported lower QICA scores.

Conclusions:

• The QICA effectively assesses QI capacity in primary care settings.
• The QICA can guide facilitators and practices in building capacity and enhancing clinical quality measures.
• This tool supports targeted interventions for improving cardiovascular health outcomes.