Outcomes measurement reduces C-section rates
Outcomes measurement reduces C-section rates
Hospitals that continuously participated in the Maryland-based Quality Indicator (QI) Project for six years had lower cesarean rates than those that did not, giving credence to the benefits of performance measurement, according to a study in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement.1
Of about 1,100 participants in the QI Project, about 110 continuously reported data on cesareans from 1991 to 1996. Those hospitals experienced a decline in cesarean rates from an average of 22.5% in 1991 to 19.4% in 1996. The greatest portion of that decline stemmed from repeat procedures, which dropped from 75% to 61.2%. A comparison group of 957 hospitals reported a slight decline in cesarean rates from 21.2% to 20.7%.
Strategies for the QI continuous participants included: a trial of labor for women with previous cesareans, continuous tracking of internal performance, and establishing reduced cesarean rates as an organization's priority.
Reference
1. Kazandjian VA, Lied TR. Cesarean section rates: Effects of participation in a performance measurement project. Jt Comm Journal on Quality Improvement 1998; 24:187-196.
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