Prioritizing information for quality improvement using resident assessment instrument data: experiences in one Canadian province

PURPOSE: To elicit priority rankings of indicators of quality of care among providers and decision-makers in continuing care in Alberta, Canada. METHODS: We used modified nominal group technique to elicit priorities and criteria for prioritization among the quality indicators and resident/client assessment protocols developed by the interRAI consortium for use in long-term care and home care. RESULTS: The top-ranked items from the long-term care assessment data were pressure ulcers, pain and incontinence. The top-ranked items from the home care data were pain, falls and proportion of clients at high risk for residential placement. Participants considered a variety of issues in deciding how to rank the indicators. IMPLICATIONS: This work reflects the beginning of a process to better understand how providers and policy makers can work together to assess priorities for quality improvement within continuing care.