SETTING: In 1993, the New York City (NYC) Bureau of Tuberculosis Control developed the cohort review process as a quality assurance method to track and improve patient outcomes. METHODS: The Bureau Director reviews every tuberculosis (TB) case quarterly in a multi-disciplinary staff meeting. In 2004 we also began collecting details on issues identified at cohort review to quantify how this process directly impacts TB control efforts. RESULTS: From 1992 to 2004, NYC TB cases decreased by 72.7% and treatment success rates significantly increased by 26.7%. Implementing the cohort review was key to improving case management, thus leading to these results. For the 1039 patients in 2004, 596 issues were identified among 424 patients; 55.0% were incorrect, unclear or unknown patient information, 13.8% were treatment issues, 12.4% were case management issues and 10.6% were incomplete contact investigations. Most (76.5%) issues were addressed within 30 days of the cohort reviews. CONCLUSION: A systematic review of every TB case improves the quality of patient information, enhances patient treatment and ensures accountability at all levels of the TB control program.
SETTING: In 1993, the New York City (NYC) Bureau of Tuberculosis Control developed the cohort review process as a quality assurance method to track and improve patient outcomes. METHODS: The Bureau Director reviews every tuberculosis (TB) case quarterly in a multi-disciplinary staff meeting. In 2004 we also began collecting details on issues identified at cohort review to quantify how this process directly impacts TB control efforts. RESULTS: From 1992 to 2004, NYC TB cases decreased by 72.7% and treatment success rates significantly increased by 26.7%. Implementing the cohort review was key to improving case management, thus leading to these results. For the 1039 patients in 2004, 596 issues were identified among 424 patients; 55.0% were incorrect, unclear or unknown patient information, 13.8% were treatment issues, 12.4% were case management issues and 10.6% were incomplete contact investigations. Most (76.5%) issues were addressed within 30 days of the cohort reviews. CONCLUSION: A systematic review of every TB case improves the quality of patient information, enhances patient treatment and ensures accountability at all levels of the TB control program.
Authors: Selina K Wallis; Kate Jehan; Mark Woodhead; Paul Cleary; Katie Dee; Stacey Farrow; Paddy McMaster; Carolyn Wake; Jenny Walker; D J Sloan; S B Squire Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2016-03-16 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Sean M Cavany; Tom Sumner; Emilia Vynnycky; Clare Flach; Richard G White; H Lucy Thomas; Helen Maguire; Charlotte Anderson Journal: Thorax Date: 2017-04-07 Impact factor: 9.139
Authors: Helen R Stagg; Ibrahim Abubakar; James Brown; Maeve K Lalor; H Lucy Thomas; Tehreem Mohiyuddin; Debora Pedrazzoli; Corinne S Merle Journal: BMC Med Date: 2016-03-23 Impact factor: 8.775