Selecting Performance Indicators for Prison Health Care

• NCJ Number: 235177
• Journal: Journal of Correctional Health Care Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2011 Pages: 138-149
• Author(s): Steven M. Asch, M.D., M.P.H.; Cheryl L. Damberg, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Liisa Hiatt M.S.; Stephanie S. Teleki Ph.D.; Rebecca Shaw M.A.; Terry E. Hill M.D.; Rhondee Benjamin-Johnson, M.D., M.S.H.S.; David P. Eisenman M.D.; Sonali P. Kulkarni, M.D., M.P.H.; Emily Wang M.D.; Brie Williams, M.D., M.S.; Ambeshie Yesus, M.D., M.S.H.S.; Corita R. Grudzen, M.D., M.S.H.S.
• Date Published: April 2011
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): ICHC08552
• Sponsoring Agency: California Dept of Corrections and Rehabilitation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examines prison health care institutions performance measurement systems.

Abstract

Improving prison health care requires a robust measurement dashboard that addresses multiple domains of care. This study sought to identify tested indicators of clinical quality and access that prison health managers could use to ascertain gaps in performance and guide quality improvement. The authors used the RAND/UCLA modified Delphi method to select the best indicators for correctional health. An expert panel rated 111 indicators on validity and feasibility. They voted to retain 79 indicators in areas such as access, cardiac conditions, geriatrics, infectious diseases, medication monitoring, metabolic diseases, obstetrics/gynecology, screening/prevention, psychiatric disorders/substance abuse, pulmonary conditions, and urgent conditions. Prison health institutions, like all other large health institutions, need robust measurement systems. The indicators presented here provide a basic library for prison health managers developing such systems. (Published Abstract)