Understanding Quality
Understanding Health Care Quality
Research has shown that science-based measures can be used to assess quality for various conditions and for specific types of care. For example, quality health care is:
- Doing the right thing (getting the health care services you need).
- At the right time (when you need them).
- In the right way (using the appropriate test or procedure).
- To achieve the best possible results.
Providing quality health care also means striking the right balance of services by:
- Avoiding underuse (for example, not screening a person for high blood pressure).
- Avoiding overuse (for example, performing tests that a patient doesn't need).
- Eliminating misuse (for example, providing medications that may have dangerous interactions).
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (www.ahrq.gov)
Ensure that you get high quality care: