Characteristics of clinical indicators.

This article will appear early next year as Chapter 2 in the Primer on Clinical Indicator Development and Application, a Joint Commission guidebook on clinical indicators. This section of the Primer defines clinical indicators and discusses their use in monitoring and evaluating factors in patient care. Examples are given of the two types of indicators, sentinel event and rate-based, which may measure either outcomes or processes of care. An explanation of indicator-specific information sets is also covered.