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Correia RH, Dash D, Jones A, Vanstone M, Aryal K, Siu HYH, Gopaul A, Costa AP. Primary care quality for older adults: Practice-based quality measures derived from a RAND/UCLA appropriateness method study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297505. [PMID: 38241388 PMCID: PMC10798529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
We established consensus on practice-based metrics that characterize quality of care for older primary care patients and can be examined using secondary health administrative data. We conducted a two-round RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) study and recruited 10 Canadian clinicians and researchers with expertise relevant to the primary care of elderly patients. Informed by a literature review, the first RAM round evaluated the appropriateness and importance of candidate quality measures in an online questionnaire. Technical definitions were developed for each endorsed indicator to specify how the indicator could be operationalized using health administrative data. In a virtual synchronous meeting, the expert panel offered feedback on the technical specifications for the endorsed indicators. Panelists then completed a second (final) questionnaire to rate each indicator and corresponding technical definition on the same criteria (appropriateness and importance). We used statistical integration to combine technical expert panelists' judgements and content analysis of open-ended survey responses. Our literature search and internal screening resulted in 61 practice-based quality indicators for rating. We developed technical definitions for indicators endorsed in the first questionnaire (n = 55). Following the virtual synchronous meeting and second questionnaire, we achieved consensus on 12 practice-based quality measures across four Priority Topics in Care of the Elderly. The endorsed indicators provide a framework to characterize practice- and population-level encounters of family physicians delivering care to older patients and will offer insights into the outcomes of their care provision. This study presented a case of soliciting expert feedback to develop measurable practice-based quality indicators that can be examined using administrative data to understand quality of care within population-based data holdings. Future work will refine and operationalize the technical definitions established through this process to examine primary care provision for older adults in a particular context (Ontario, Canada).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca H. Correia
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Darly Dash
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aaron Jones
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meredith Vanstone
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Komal Aryal
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Henry Yu-Hin Siu
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aquila Gopaul
- Department of Family Medicine, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew P. Costa
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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