Developing indicators and measures of high-quality for Australian general practice

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Health Care Quality
• General Practice Indicators

Background:

• Rising healthcare costs and health inequity are significant global and Australian challenges.
• Strong primary health care is essential for addressing these issues.
• Defining high-quality general practice is currently lacking consensus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an evidence-based suite of indicators and measures for high-quality general practice.
• To establish a framework for assessing general practice quality in Australia.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to develop a framework and revise existing quality assurance measures.
• Three workshops with general practitioners, practice managers, nurses, consumers, and Primary Health Network (PHN) staff.
• Descriptive qualitative research approach for data analysis.

Main Results:

• 125 evidence-based indicators were identified as relevant.
• 80 indicators were deemed both relevant and feasible for implementation.
• Indicators were organized within a Quadruple Aim framework, encompassing structure, process, and outcome measures.

Conclusions:

• The developed suite of indicators and measures requires further validation with PHNs nationwide.
• This research has the potential to drive health system innovation nationally and internationally.