Table 2 General structure of an indicator
From: Development of quality of care indicators from systematic reviews: the case of hospital delivery
Element | Description | Source of information |
|---|---|---|
a. Title | Brief statement of what is to be assessed | Research team |
b. Type of Indicator | • Process indicator | Clinical recommendation based on SR |
• Specific indicator of general or medical condition | ||
• Indicator of desirable or undesirable events | ||
• Indicator based on proportions or means | ||
c. Definitions | 1. Clinical recommendation (PICO format): Clinical situation, population, intervention, comparison and main outcomes | Clinical recommendation based on SR, ICD-9-CM |
• Operational definition of clinical terms in the research question | ||
• Definition of contraindications to treatment (if necessary) | ||
• Description of the diagnostic and procedure codes ICD-9-CM for the identification of the population | ||
d. Target population | Definition of the target population | Clinical recommendation based on SR |
e. Rationale | • Impact of the clinical condition of interest | SR, CPG |
• Brief description of the selected SR | ||
• Summary of the main benefits and/or harms associated with the intervention | ||
• Support of the recommendation by main clinical practice guidelines (CPG) | ||
f. Supporting literature | Main bibliography that supports the indicator (SR and CPG) | SR, CPG |
g. Description of indicator population | Operational definition of the indicator (formula) | Clinical recommendation based on SR, clinical experts |
• Numerator / denominator | ||
• Exclusion criteria | ||
h. Sources of information | Description of the sources of information to compute the indicator: | Clinical experts |
• Administrative databases (mainly from inpatient and surgical area) | ||
• Clinical documentation (medical history) | ||
• Other (survey, etc.) | ||
i. Standard | Definition of the standard: | Clinical recommendation based on SR |
• Desirable event (↑) | ||
• Undesirable event (↓) | ||
j. Underlying factors | • Factors related to the target population | SR, CPG, Clinical experts |
• Factors related to professionals | ||
• Factors related to the hospital | ||
k. Notes | Other aspects that complement the information summarized by the indicator. | Clinical experts |
l. Desired characteristics of a hospital to ensure the viability of the indicator | • Essential features (associated with the identification of the denominator and the numerator) | Clinical experts |
• Desirable features (associated with an acceptable time investment to measure it) |