Outcome evaluations as measures of quality in pediatric intensive care.

In recent years, interest in assessing quality of care has blossomed. Quality care may be defined as providing the most appropriate treatment and providing it with great technical and managerial skill and proficiency in a manner that gains patient acceptance. For assessment purposes, variation in risk-adjusted outcomes between providers should be attributable to quality of care differences. Some methods for measuring outcomes and risk-adjustment for pediatric intensive care populations have been developed, but additional tools are needed for applications in outcomes management, continuous quality improvement, and outcomes research.