Field Guide to NQF resources launches
New tool makes finding information a breeze
If you have tried looking for specific information on the National Quality Forum (NQF) website and been flummoxed by too many or too few query responses, you might want to check out the new Field Guide to NQF Resources. Launched this summer, it provides easier and faster navigation of the website and clearer answers to questions. Paired with the Field Guide and funded with the same Robert Wood Johnson Foundation money, the NQF also launched a new version of the Quality Positioning System (QPS), which will speed up access to information related to measurement and reporting.
The Field Guide includes simple explanations about quality measurement and what the NQF does, along with additional resources related to the topic a user is searching for. For example, if you are looking for information about how measures are endorsed, there is a drop-down list of common questions. There are also links to an NQF glossary, infographics you can download and use in your own work on topics such as reducing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), and profiles of members and how they use NQF resources.
Tom Valuck, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for NQF, says that translating what the organization does into terms that are meaningful and understandable to users is a key goal. "This is part of an effort to make what we do more accessible, better organized, and helps users understand what we are doing."
New elements include the ability to access the Field Guide even on mobile devices. "It’s very comprehensive and gives answers to some of the most complex and challenging questions we get," Valuck says. An example of a hard question might be, How can an organization set priorities for improving quality?
"The guide will provide information relevant to those topics and also additional resources for users, including external resources."
The addition of user profiles is something he thinks will be of particular interest. "It puts a face on what we do, a real face of someone like you who uses our information to improve the care provided on the front lines," he says.
QPS Version 2.0 makes searching for endorsed measures and related information simpler. Search for CLABSI using the tool and you get a link to the measure with information on whether it’s endorsed, who the steward is, and when it was last updated. It also allows users to create a portfolio of measures and to compare them against each other.
"The new version replaces the keyword search," he says. "You can still do that, but there is also more functionality, and it goes beyond finding a particular measure. You can see how others are using it and share your experience. You can search in different ways like whether it’s a national priority or its endorsement status. The new version lets you save measures in portfolios you can share or keep private, and track measures you are interested in."
Another favorite feature for Valuck is the increased ability for users to comment on measures in an ongoing way, using both structured and unstructured questions about their usefulness. "This is very new: We haven’t had this in an ongoing way before, and we think it’s a great enhancement," he says.
Both new tools can be found at https://www.qualityforum.org/Measures_Reports_Tools.aspx.
For more information on this topic, contact Tom Valuck, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, National Quality Forum, Washington, DC. Telephone: (202) 783-1300.
