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Fiore M, Bianconi A, Acuti Martellucci C, Rosso A, Zauli E, Flacco ME, Manzoli L. Impact of the Italian Healthcare Outcomes Program (PNE) on the Care Quality of the Poorest Performing Hospitals. Healthcare (Basel) 2024; 12:431. [PMID: 38391807 PMCID: PMC10887701 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12040431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the main aims of the Italian National Healthcare Outcomes Program (Programma Nazionale Esiti, PNE) is the identification of the hospitals with the lowest performance, leading them to improve their quality. In order to evaluate PNE impact for a subset of outcome indicators, we evaluated whether the performance of the hospitals with the lowest scores in 2016 had significantly improved after five years. The eight indicators measured the risk-adjusted likelihood of the death of each patient (adjusted relative risk-RR) 30 days after the admission for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, femur fracture or lung and colon cancer. In 2016, the PNE identified 288 hospitals with a very low performance in at least one of the selected indicators. Overall, 51.0% (n = 147) of these hospitals showed some degree of improvement in 2021, and 27.4% of them improved so much that the death risk of their patients fell below the national mean value. In 34.7% of the hospitals, however, the patients still carried a mean risk of death >30% higher than the average Italian patient with the same disease. Only 38.5% of the hospitals in Southern Italy improved the scores of the selected indicators, versus 68.0% in Northern and Central Italy. Multivariate analyses, adjusting for the baseline performance in 2016, confirmed univariate results and showed a significantly lower likelihood of improvement with increasing hospital volume. Despite the overall methodological validity of the PNE system, current Italian policies and actions aimed at translating hospital quality scores into effective organizational changes need to be reinforced with a special focus on larger southern regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Fiore
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bianconi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Annalisa Rosso
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Enrico Zauli
- Department of Medical Translation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Maria Elena Flacco
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Lamberto Manzoli
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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De Cola MC, Ielo A, Corallo F, Pollina Addario S, Scondotto S, Allotta A, Fantaci G, Bramanti P, Ciurleo R. Development of a Set of Indicators for Measuring and Improving Quality of Rehabilitation Care after Ischemic Stroke. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:2065. [PMID: 37510506 PMCID: PMC10378746 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11142065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Stroke is the leading global cause of permanent disability and the second leading cause of dementia within the first year of the event. Systematic quality improvement interventions such as Audit & Feedback (A&F) can monitor and improve the performance of post-stroke care in conjunction with the use of quality indicators (QIs). The scientific literature shows limited studies on quality improvement and QIs design for poststroke rehabilitation. In Italy, the National Outcomes Evaluation Programme (PNE) annually provides several QIs concerning the acute wards. On the contrary, indicators for quality assessment of post-acute stroke rehabilitation are not available nationwide. In recent years, the Italian Ministry of Health has funded a national network project, the aim of which is to provide and evaluate the effectiveness of A&F strategies in healthcare improvement. Part of this project is the development of a set of IQs for ischemic stroke rehabilitation used to conduct an A&F. In this study, we describe the design and development process of these QIs from administrative databases and report the results of the pilot test conducted on a small sample of Sicilian rehabilitation facilities, comparing them from 2019 to 2021. Feedback from the participating centers was mainly positive, and the quality indicators were found to be comprehensible and appreciated. However, the study highlighted the need for better adherence to indicators measuring processes of rehabilitation care. The set of quality indicators presented in this study, relevant to inpatient settings, could be considered a starting point on which to base quality improvement initiatives both nationally and internationally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Augusto Ielo
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | | | - Sebastiano Pollina Addario
- Assessorato della Salute, Dipartimento Attività Sanitarie e Osservatorio Epidemiologico, 90145 Palermo, Italy
| | - Salvatore Scondotto
- Assessorato della Salute, Dipartimento Attività Sanitarie e Osservatorio Epidemiologico, 90145 Palermo, Italy
| | - Alessandra Allotta
- Assessorato della Salute, Dipartimento Attività Sanitarie e Osservatorio Epidemiologico, 90145 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giovanna Fantaci
- Assessorato della Salute, Dipartimento Attività Sanitarie e Osservatorio Epidemiologico, 90145 Palermo, Italy
| | - Placido Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, 98124 Messina, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, Università Degli Studi eCampus, Via Isimbardi 10, 22060 Novedrate, Italy
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Angelici L, Angioletti C, Pinnarelli L, Colais P, de Mattia E, Agabiti N, Davoli M, Acampora A. EASY-NET Program: Methods and Preliminary Results of an Audit and Feedback Intervention in the Emergency Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Lazio Region, Italy. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11111651. [PMID: 37297791 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11111651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the EASY-NET network program (NET-2016-02364191), Work Package 1 Lazio evaluates the effectiveness of a structured audit and feedback (A&F) intervention compared with the web-based regional periodic publication of indicators in improving the appropriateness and timeliness of emergency healthcare for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This work describes the A&F methodology and presents the results of the first feedback delivered. The intervention involves sending periodic reports via e-mail to participating hospitals. The feedback reports include a set of volume and quality (process and outcome) indicators, calculated by facility through the health information system of the Lazio Region and compared with regional mean, target values and values calculated for hospitals with similar volumes of activity. Health managers and clinicians of each participating hospital represent the "feedback recipients". They are invited to organize clinical and organizational audit meetings to identify possible critical issues in the care pathway and define, where necessary, improvement actions. A total of 16 facilities are involved. Twelve facilities present high volumes in all volume indicators, while three facilities present low volumes for each indicator. Concerning the quality indicators, four facilities do not present critical indicators or had average results, three facilities do not present critical indicators but show average results in at least one of the indicators and six facilities present a critical value for at least one of the indicators. The first report highlighted some critical issues in some facilities on several indicators. During the audit meetings, each facility analyzes these issues, defining appropriate improvement actions. The outcome of these actions will be monitored through subsequent reporting to support the continuous care quality improvement process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Angelici
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service-Lazio, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 112, 00147 Rome, Italy
| | - Carmen Angioletti
- Management and Health Laboratory, Institute of Management, Department Embeds, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Luigi Pinnarelli
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service-Lazio, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 112, 00147 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Colais
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service-Lazio, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 112, 00147 Rome, Italy
| | - Egidio de Mattia
- Critical Pathways and Evaluation Outcome Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli"-IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Faculty of Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Nera Agabiti
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service-Lazio, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 112, 00147 Rome, Italy
| | - Marina Davoli
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service-Lazio, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 112, 00147 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Acampora
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Service-Lazio, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 112, 00147 Rome, Italy
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