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Article of the Month -- December 1997 (Abstract)
CORE OUTCOME MEASURES FOR INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIR
Richard E. Burney, MD, FACS, Katherine R. Jones, RN, PhD, Jane W. Coon,
RN, DNSc, Darby K. Blewitt, RN, MS, Ann Herm, RN, and Melissa Peterson,
RN
ABSTRACT
Background: Demands on the medical profession to develop performance
measures and demonstrate cost-effectiveness make it imperative that a uniform
approach to the measurement of outcomes for common conditions be adopted.
We report here on patient acceptance, response rates, and utility of a new
set of core outcome measures for patients with inguinal hernia (IH), which
incorporates patient reporting of outcomes.
Methods: Beginning in March, 1994, a convenience sample of patients
scheduled for IH repair has completed a series of questionnaires addressing
a range of patient case mix and outcome dimensions, including demographics,
co-morbid conditions, SF-36 health status, condition- specific questions,
expectations and responses to the surgical experience, before and after
operation. Surgical data have been abstracted from the medical record.
Results: One hundred three patients have been entered in the study;
63 have completed 2 month reports, 44 have completed 6 month reports. Acceptance
of the study and response rates have been excellent. Differences in health
status associated with IH have been identified in two SF-36 domains, and
changes in function after repair noted in several others, supporting the
applicability of this measure. Outcomes may also differ by type of hernia
and type of repair performed.
Conclusions: A core outcome measurement set for IH that encompasses
demographics, co-morbidities, health status, expectations, utilization,
and condition-specific data provides a portrait of patient outcomes that
is useful to providers and patients, and combined with cost and satisfaction
data, can be used for benchmarking and improving surgical care.
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Journal of the American College of Surgeons
December 1997, Volume 185 Number 6
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