| Prevention Quality Indicators Cataloged By AHRQ
Results of research on quality indicators has been developed by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The Prevention Quality Indicators (PQIs) are a set of
measures that can be used with hospital inpatient discharge data to
identify quality of care for "ambulatory care-sensitive conditions,"
the agency said. "These are conditions for which good outpatient care
can potentially prevent the need for hospitalization or for which early
intervention can prevent complications or more severe disease."
The AHRQ said the Prevention Quality Indicators are part
of a set of its Quality Indicators (QIs) developed by investigators at
Stanford University and the University of California under a contract
with AHRQ.
The AHRQ: Prevention Quality Indicators:
- Can be used as a "screening tool" to help flag potential healthcare quality problem areas that need further investigation.
- Can provide a quick check on primary care access or
outpatient services in a community by using patient data found in a
typical hospital discharge abstract.
- Can help public health agencies, State data
organizations, healthcare systems, and others interested in improving
health care quality in their communities.
- Are population based and adjusted for age and sex.
- Are publicly available without cost.
- Are available for download.
With high-quality, community-based primary care, hospitalization for these illnesses often can be avoided, said the AHRQ.
The Prevention Quality Indicators represent hospital admission rates for the following 14 ambulatory-care sensitive conditions:
- Diabetes, short-term complications (PQI 1)
- Perforated appendicitis (PQI 2)
- Diabetes, long-term complications (PQI 3)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PQI 5)
- Hypertension (PQI 7)
- Congestive heart failure (PQI 8)
- Low birth weight (PQI 9)
- Dehydration (PQI 10)
- VBacterial pneumonia (PQI 11)
- Urinary infections (PQI 12)
- Angina without procedure (PQI 13)
- Uncontrolled diabetes (PQI 14)
- Adult asthma (PQI 15)
- Lower extremity amputations among patients with diabetes (PQI 16)
Address: Agency Healthcare Research and Quality, Office
of Communications and Knowledge Transfer, 540 Gaither Road, Suite 2000,
Rockville, MD 20850; (301) 427-1104, www.qualityindicators.ahrq.gov/pqi_overview.htm.
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