AIM: To develop a set of non-invasive, evidence-based, population-based quality of care indicators for primary care in New Zealand and to test their feasibility. METHODS: New Zealand, British and Australian publications were reviewed and a set of quality of care indicators was constructed. These were trialed on data collected from seventeen fully computerised practices from the FirstHealth network of general practices. RESULTS: 28 indicators are proposed in five categories: smoking cessation, preventive health activities, prescribing quality, chronic disease management and data quality. We were able to calculate ten indicators from data already collected routinely, a further twelve could be calculated now with more sophisticated data queries and six would require the trial practices to collect further data. CONCLUSIONS: While any set of indicators is arbitrary there are sufficient research data to support a set of evidence-based, population-focused, quality of care indicators in New Zealand primary health care. In computerised practices these indicators can be calculated from routinely collected data.
AIM: To develop a set of non-invasive, evidence-based, population-based quality of care indicators for primary care in New Zealand and to test their feasibility. METHODS: New Zealand, British and Australian publications were reviewed and a set of quality of care indicators was constructed. These were trialed on data collected from seventeen fully computerised practices from the FirstHealth network of general practices. RESULTS: 28 indicators are proposed in five categories: smoking cessation, preventive health activities, prescribing quality, chronic disease management and data quality. We were able to calculate ten indicators from data already collected routinely, a further twelve could be calculated now with more sophisticated data queries and six would require the trial practices to collect further data. CONCLUSIONS: While any set of indicators is arbitrary there are sufficient research data to support a set of evidence-based, population-focused, quality of care indicators in New Zealand primary health care. In computerised practices these indicators can be calculated from routinely collected data.