Structured Abstract

Contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Technical Expert Panel
• Peer Reviewers
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
  • Definition of Public Reporting and Scope
  • Objectives and Key Questions
• Methods
  • Topic Nomination and Development
  • Search Strategy
  • Study Selection
  • PICOTS Framework
  • Types of Studies
  • Analytic Framework
  • Data Extraction
  • Quality Assessment of Individual Included Studies
  • Data Synthesis
  • Rating the Body of Evidence for Each Key Question
  • Applicability
  • Peer Review and Public Commentary
• Results
  • Organization
  • Search Results
  • Overview of Effectiveness of Public Reporting as a Quality Improvement Strategy
  • Effectiveness of Public Reporting by Health Care Setting
• Discussion
  • Discussion by Key Question
  • Applicability
  • Limitations of the Review
  • Limitations of the Research on Public Reporting
  • Future Research
  • Conclusion
• References
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Appendix A Literature Search Databases and Strings
• Appendix B Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
• Appendix C Included and Excluded Studies
• Appendix D Study Design Terminology
• Appendix E Description of Public Reports From the Included Studies
• Appendix F Method for Quality Assessment of Individual Quantitative Studies
• Appendix G Quality Assessment of Individual Quantitative Studies
• Appendix H Hospitals: Quantitative Evidence
• Appendix I Hospitals: Qualitative Evidence
• Appendix J Individual Providers: Quantitative Evidence
• Appendix K Individual Providers: Qualitative Evidence
• Appendix L Health Plans: Quantitative Evidence
• Appendix M Health Plans: Qualitative Evidence
• Appendix N Long-Term Care: Quantitative Evidence
• Appendix O Long-Term Care: Qualitative Evidence
• Appendix P Strength of Evidence

Prepared for: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services¹, Contract No. 290-2007-10057-I, Prepared by: Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, Portland, OR

Suggested citation:

Totten AM, Wagner J, Tiwari A, O’Haire C, Griffin J, Walker M. Public Reporting as a Quality Improvement Strategy. Closing the Quality Gap: Revisiting the State of the Science. Evidence Report No. 208. (Prepared by the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-2007-10057-I.) AHRQ Publication No. 12-E011-EF. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. July 2012. www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/reports/final.cfm.

This report is based on research conducted by the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD (Contract No. 290-2007-10057-I). The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors, who are responsible for its contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. Therefore, no statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The information in this report is intended to help health care decisionmakers—patients and clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers, among others—make well-informed decisions and thereby improve the quality of health care services. This report is not intended to be a substitute for the application of clinical judgment. Anyone who makes decisions concerning the provision of clinical care should consider this report in the same way as any medical reference and in conjunction with all other pertinent information, i.e., in the context of available resources and circumstances presented by individual patients.

This report may be used, in whole or in part, as the basis for development of clinical practice guidelines and other quality enhancement tools, or as a basis for reimbursement and coverage policies. AHRQ or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorsement of such derivative products may not be stated or implied.

None of the investigators have an affiliations or financial involvement that conflicts with the material presented in this report.

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