Published 14 August 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a639
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a639

Editorials

Measuring the quality of healthcare systems using composites

Is useful for communication, but lacks the detail to improve care locally

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Composite measures are increasingly being used to assess the quality of health care. Recent examples include English star ratings, the quality and outcomes framework points score in the United Kingdom, and national and state scorecards in the United States.1 2 3 4 Composites summarise data from many quality indicators in one more easily understood number or rating.

This is particularly important for patients and the public.5 Ease of interpretation is also important for policymakers, who need broad overviews of a system’s performance.1 Composites may therefore improve communication with the public (although the evidence that the public uses such data is weak, irrespective of how it is presented), increase accountability to payers, and help ensure that quality of care remains a priority in policy.

In the linked study (doi: 10.1136/bmj.a957), Steel and colleagues report findings from a rigorously designed and implemented representative survey of older people in England, and they present various composites . . . [Full text of this article]

Bruce Guthrie, professor of primary care medicine

1 University of Dundee, Community Health Sciences, Dundee DD2 4BF

b.guthrie@chs.dundee.ac.uk


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