Partnering with consumers in the public reporting of quality of care: Review of the Victorian quality of care reports

Abstract

Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the content of annual Victorian quality of care reports had an increased consumer participation focus following the introduction of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Partnering with Consumers standard. Methods. Amixed-methods approach comprising a comparative descriptive observational study designwith quantitative data analysis was used. Nine large Victorian metropolitan public health services' annual quality of care reports from 2011 and 2014 were analysed using a newly devised analysis framework consisting of elements of the NSQHS 'Partnering with Consumers' standard andminimal requirements forQuality ofCare reportingbytheDepartment ofHealth andHumanServices. Results. Of the nine 2014 quality of care reports, in only three were total scores higher compared with scores in the 2011 reports; in one of the 2014 reports, the total scores remained the same, and in the remaining five reports total scores were lower than in the 2011 reports. Overall, there was an improved total score for the 2014 reports compared with the 2011 reports, corresponding to a higher consumer participation focus. Conclusion. Overall, the present study demonstratedmixed findings and, in some cases, lower scores for the 2014 reports, whichwas after the introduction of the PartneringwithConsumers NSQHS standard, compared with the 2011 reports.Overall, there is future scope to enhance the degree of consumer participation evident within the quality of care reports.