Performance indicator scoring

[摘要] We read with interest the paper in the May issue on the theme of performance indicator scoring by Houghton and Rouse.1 We were surprised that they did not refer to a conceptually similar attempt we made to develop a composite performance indicator — the National Health Service Practice Performance Index (NHSPPI) — in three areas of England (including their own) and one in Scotland.2 As Houghton and Rouse assumed, we found that NHSPPI correlated significantly, and negatively with a weighted deprivation index (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = -0.57). It also correlated negatively with the proportion of other language patients in the practice (r = -0.44) and positively with list size (r = 0.25). The performance indicator was thus inherently unfair on practices working in deprived areas, whereas an alternative measure which we have called the Consultation Quality Index (CQI) appears independent of deprivation scores (r = 0.06).3

[学科分类] 卫生学