Clinical Performance Measures for Neurocritical Care: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the Neurocritical Care Society

Neurocrit Care. 2020 Feb;32(1):5-79. doi: 10.1007/s12028-019-00846-w.

Abstract

Background: Performance measures are tools to measure the quality of clinical care. To date, there is no organized set of performance measures for neurocritical care.

Methods: The Neurocritical Care Society convened a multidisciplinary writing committee to develop performance measures relevant to neurocritical care delivery in the inpatient setting. A formal methodology was used that included systematic review of the medical literature for 13 major neurocritical care conditions, extraction of high-level recommendations from clinical practice guidelines, and development of a measurement specification form.

Results: A total of 50,257 citations were reviewed of which 150 contained strong recommendations deemed suitable for consideration as neurocritical care performance measures. Twenty-one measures were developed across nine different conditions and two neurocritical care processes of care.

Conclusions: This is the first organized Neurocritical Care Performance Measure Set. Next steps should focus on field testing to refine measure criteria and assess implementation.

Keywords: Metrics; Neurocritical care; Performance measures; Quality.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain Death / diagnosis
  • Brain Injuries, Traumatic / diagnosis
  • Brain Injuries, Traumatic / therapy
  • Central Nervous System Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Central Nervous System Diseases / therapy*
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / diagnosis
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / therapy
  • Coma / diagnosis
  • Coma / therapy
  • Critical Care / standards*
  • Encephalitis / diagnosis
  • Encephalitis / therapy
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / diagnosis
  • Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / therapy
  • Intracranial Hypertension / diagnosis
  • Intracranial Hypertension / therapy
  • Ischemic Stroke / diagnosis
  • Ischemic Stroke / therapy
  • Meningitis / diagnosis
  • Meningitis / therapy
  • Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Quality Indicators, Health Care*
  • Quality of Health Care
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / diagnosis
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / therapy
  • Status Epilepticus / diagnosis
  • Status Epilepticus / therapy
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / diagnosis
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / therapy