Quality Measures: Types, Selection, and Application in Health Care Quality Improvement Projects

Quality measures are determined by the nature of the problem and the desired goal for improvement. The project should focus on at least one of the six domains of quality: safety, timeless, equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and patient-centered care.[4] The first step to develop a QI project is to understand the problem and estimate its magnitude in order to propose an effective solution. Therefore, it is critical to select the most appropriate quality measure to quantify the problem and monitor the impact of possible solutions during the project. It is best to select measures that are well defined and can be compared with other institutions or units. We recommended using internationally recognized quality measures from the National Quality Measures database, CMS Measures Inventory Tool, International Library of Measures from Joint Commission International, Agency for Health Research and Quality, and other professional societies related to the subject.[5–7] Different quality measures will require different methodology, which is discussed in the next section. Considerations for selecting quality measures are given in Table 1.