Development of the quality of care index system of county level hospitals based on the homepage of the medical records and analysis of its applicability / 中华医院管理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore methods to develop a hospital quality of care index system of county level hospitals based on the homepage of inpatient medical records and examine the validity of this system. Methods By means of literature review, homepage data and panel discussion, along with theories and statistical methods, indexes were identified. The dimensions and indices of the index system were pinpointed. Confirmatory factor analysis and normalization methods were combined to calculate the weights and scores of such indices. Scores were adjusted by Charlson comorbidity index ( CCI) with multi-regression method. The hospitals were ranked by adjusted scores in each dimension. The validity was evaluated by comparing the application results to universally acknowledged standards, such as hospital level and economic level of the geographic areas. Results An index system with 6 dimensions and 25 indices was developed, and the application results proved valid to some extent. The adjustment of CCI also proved effective. The 6 dimensions were correlated yet their directions were not consistent. Conclusions The methods and data used to develop the system have demonstrated strong operability and availability. The application results can reflect medical care quality in different aspects making it applicable among homogeneous hospitals. It is meaningful to assess dimensions respectively.