Quality of Care Assessment Tools (QA Tools)

RAND Health has developed and tested the QA Tools system, a comprehensive, clinically based system for assessing quality of care for children and adults. The QA Tools system contains indicators for

• general medical conditions
• oncology and HIV
• cardiopulmonary conditions
• children and adolescent health care
• women's health

Each QA Tools indicator is based on a focused review of the scientific literature and on the ratings of a panel of experts in the field.

The QA tools system includes 46 clinical areas and all four functions of medicine-screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. They also cover a variety of modes of providing care, including history, physical examination, laboratory study, medication, and other interventions and contacts.

Because the QA Tools system addresses many limitations of current quality assessment systems, it offers a scientifically sound foundation on which an ongoing national quality monitoring system could be based.

Available documents:

Quality Assessment Tools from RAND Health — 2000

Read more about the QA Tools quality indicators.

Full document

Quality of Care for General Medical Conditions: A Review of the Literature and Quality Indicators — 2000

Eve A. Kerr, Steven M. Asch, Eric G. Hamilton, Elizabeth A. McGlynn (Editors)
Clinical conditions covered: Acne, alcohol dependence, allergic rhinitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, cataracts, cholelithiasis, dementia, depression, diabetes mellitus, hormone replacement therapy, headache, hip fracture, hysterectomy, inguinal hernia, acute low back pain, orthopedic conditions.

Full document

Quality of Care for Oncologic Conditions and HIV: A Review of the Literature and Quality Indicators — 2000

Steven M. Asch, Eve A. Kerr, Eric G. Hamilton, Jennifer L. Reifel, Elizabeth A. McGlynn (Editors)
Clinical conditions covered: Breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, HIV, lung cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, cancer pain and palliation.

Full document

Quality of Care for Cardiopulmonary Conditions: A Review of the Literature and Quality Indicators — 2000

Eve A. Kerr, Steven M. Asch, Eric G. Hamilton, Elizabeth A. McGlynn (Editors)
Clinical conditions covered: Asthma, atrial fibrillation, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cigarette counseling, community-acquired pneumonia, coronary artery disease, heart failure, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, upper respiratory infections.

Full document

Quality of Care for Children and Adolescents: A Review of Selected Clinical Conditions and Quality Indicators — 2000

Elizabeth A. McGlynn, Cheryl L. Damberg, Eve A. Kerr, and Mark A. Schuster (Editors)
Clinical conditions covered: Acne, preventive services, allergic rhinitis, asthma, attention deficit disorder, cesarean delivery, depression, developmental screening, diabetes mellitus, acute diarrheal disease, family planning/contraception, fever without source of infection in children under 3 years of age, headache, immunizations, otitis media, prenatal care, sickle cell screening, tuberculosis, upper respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, vaginitis and sexually transmitted diseases, well child care.

Full document

Quality of Care for Women: A Review of Selected Clinical Conditions and Quality Indicators — 2000

Elizabeth A. McGlynn, Eve A. Kerr, Cheryl L. Damberg, and Steven M. Asch (Editors)
Clinical conditions covered: Acne, alcohol dependence, allergic rhinitis, asthma, breast mass, cesarean delivery, cigarette use counseling, depression, diabetes mellitus, family planning/contraception, headache, hypertension, acute low back pain, prenatal care, preterm labor, corticosteroids for fetal maturation, preventive care, upper respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, vaginitis and sexually transmitted diseases.

Full document