Loading...
To assess quality of ambulatory care in children, RAND investigators used a medical records–based methodology that was developed for assessing care in adults. They reviewed charts of 1536 randomly selected children who were treated between 1996 and 2000 in 12 metropolitan areas. The investigators assessed adherence to 175 quality indicators, which were categorized by type of care (preventive, chronic, or acute), function of care (screening, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up), mode of care (exam, medication, immunization, test), and clinical indication.
Based on 22,000 assessments, overall adherence to quality indicators was poor (46%). Adherence rates were 41% for preventive care, 53% for chronic care, and 68% for acute care. Adherence rates, …