HealthPathways can be used as an enabler of system change and improvement, which can reduce variation in care. This sample evaluation may be used for the whole health system or an individual pathway.
Key questions or programme aims
- Establish a baseline of referral quality.
- Quantify the benefits of the change.
Indicators
- Pathway-dependent
- Referral quality
- Compliance
Methods
- Audit of referral quality and consistency (pre and post)
- Interviews and feedback with key clinical and non-clinical leaders
- Key hospital metrics
- Clinician surveys
- Measure compliance over time (pre and post)
Publication database examples
Health System Improvements – Reducing Variations of Care
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Key questions/Programme aims
What questions will identify if the programme is achieving its aims?
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Outcomes/Programme logic
What difference do we aim to make?
What do we expect to achieve?
Who will benefit?
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Indicators
How will we know if progress is tracking well?
What changes will we look for?
What indicators will help answer our key questions?
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Methods/Data sources
What data will we collect and how?
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Establish a baseline of referral quality
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- Develop audits and surveys, and obtain baseline data for the clinical streams undergoing evaluation
- Log all issues being addressed via team/SME negotiation or the CWG process
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- Review feedback
- Pathway-dependent
- Consider:
- Referral decline rates
- First specialist assessment, surgery, and follow-up rates
- Quality of referral information
- Reduced testing
- Wait times
- Did not attend (DNA) rates
- Community care rates
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- Feedback:
- Key clinical and non-clinical leaders
- CWGs
- HP programme team
- Hospital metrics (pre and post)
- Referral audit (pre and post)
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Quantify the benefits of the change
- Is the service aligned with best practice?
- Has referral quality improved?
- Have costs reduced?
- Has care in the community increased?
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- Identify improvements in:
- referral quality
- e-referrals
- the wider health system
- health equity
- Identify reduced variation in care
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- Review feedback
- Pathway-dependent
- Consider:
- Referral decline rates
- First specialist assessment, surgery, and follow-up rates
- Quality of referral information
- Reduced testing
- Wait times
- Did not attend (DNA) rates
- Community care rates
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- Feedback:
- Key clinical and non-clinical leaders
- CWGs
- HP programme team
- Hospital metrics (pre and post)
- Referral audit (pre and post)
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