Partnering with consumers in the public reporting of quality of care: review of the Victorian quality of care reports.

Conclusion Overall, the present study demonstrated mixed findings and, in some cases, lower scores for the 2014 reports, which was after the introduction of the Partnering with Consumers NSQHS standard, compared with the 2011 reports. Overall, there is future scope to enhance the degree of consumer participation evident within the quality of care reports.What is known about the topic? Partnering with consumers has been associated with improved clinical outcomes, decreased readmission rates and rates of hospital-acquired infections, and improved adherence to treatment recommendations and health literacy. Engaging consumers has been recognised as a means to increase the accessibility and appropriateness of healthcare to individuals. Public reporting is a tool through which health services communicate with and engage their consumers in order to improve the quality of care they provide, and is a key element in Australia of the NSQHS Partnering with Consumers standard.What does the paper add? This paper links the principles of consumer participation with public reporting. The paper highlights the potential for healthcare organisations to use their public reporting media to engage with consumers and communicate about the quality of care they deliver.What are the implications for practitioners? The unexpected findings of a lower emphasis on consumer participation suggests the need for Victorian health services to review the purpose and processes for developing the publicly reported ...
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research