Goals tough to achieve without baseline
Goals tough to achieve without baseline
QI departments lend expertise
The thrust of Creating a Healthier Macomb revolves around seven categories -- either directly or indirectly related to health care. Within those categories, 50 specific goals have been set. Setting a goal of a healthier community is easy, but coming up with specific goals, tools to measure progress, and designing processes to achieve those goals is tougher. That is why the quality management departments at the four hospitals in Macomb County, MI, have lent their assistance in developing baseline data to measure progress and tools to generate data.
That is dangerous but necessary turf to tread, says Joyce Hennigan, CPHQ, clinical decision support analyst for St. Joseph's Mercy of Macomb Hospital and Health Services, based in Clinton Township. "You should really come to consensus before you start building your database as to what it is you are looking for," she says. "The most trying of meetings was convincing each other why or why not a person, or a diagnoses, or an injury should be included in the project. For example, is it more important that we decrease more head injuries vs. wrist injuries? You really need to know up front what you are looking for and what you want to measure, so that you aren't gathering data on the wrong elements."
Here are the seven categories with a sampling of the 50 goals:
Strong Families
* Increase to 90% the number of pregnant women receiving prenatal care within their first trimester by the year 2000.
* Reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect among children ages 0 to 18 by 5% by the year 2000.
* Reduce the number of bicycle and in-line skating injuries presenting at the hospital emergency departments by 10% per year starting in 1996.
Quality Education
* Increase the number of adult clients served through the Macomb Reading Partners by at least 5% per year beginning in 1997 and continuing through 2000.
Holistic Health
* Reduce adult smoking prevalence in the county to 15% or less by 2005 from the current baseline rate.
* Increase by 5% per year the number of adults age 21 to 64 who engage in exercise, and reduce by 5% per year the number of adults age 21 to 64 who report a sedentary lifestyle, beginning in 1996 and continuing through 2000.
Sense of Community
* Have community service programs available in 75% of all school districts in Macomb County at the high school level by the year 2000.
Civic Infrastructure
* Reduce violence affecting or committed by young persons in Macomb County by at least 10% by 2000.
Treasuring and Preserving the Environment
* Reduce the average number of critical items, such as improperly stored food, in restaurants inspected by the Macomb County Health Department to an average per restaurant of three or less by the year 2000.
Economic Opportunities
* Decrease health-related job absenteeism and injuries among participating employers by 5% per year beginning in 1996 and continuing through 2000. *
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