Stability of hospital quality indicators over time: A multi-year observational study of German hospital data.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Retrospective hospital quality indicators can only be useful if they are trustworthy signals of current or future quality. Despite extensive longitudinal quality indicator data and many hospital quality public reporting initiatives, research on quality indicator stability over time is scarce and skepticism about their usefulness widespread.

Objective

Based on aggregated, widely available hospital-level quality indicators, this paper sought to determine whether quality indicators are stable over time. Implications for health policy were drawn and the limited methodological foundation for stability assessments of hospital-level quality indicators enhanced.

Methods

Two longitudinal datasets (self-reported and routine data), including all hospitals in Germany a

SUBMITTER: Kollmann NP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10629650 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature