The Article in Brief
Family Physicians' Quality Interventions and Performance Improvement Through the ABFM Diabetes Performance in Practice Module
Lars E. Peterson , and colleagues
Background This study examines nearly 8,000 diabetes quality improvement projects. The projects were conducted by family physicians across the United States who completed a Performance in Practice module to meet recertification requirements of the American Board of Family Medicine.
What This Study Found Nearly all projects were associated with significant and meaningful improvements in diabetes care. Successful completion of the module required quality measure abstraction from 10 patient charts before and after an improvement effort. Almost one-half of participating physicians selected diabetic foot examination or eye examination as their quality improvement measure. Other quality measures included testing for microabluminauria, checking hemoglobin A1C or lipid levels, assessing blood pressure control, and counseling for smoking cessation. Analysis showed all quality measures improved after the intervention, except measuring LDL cholesterol. In particular, foot examination documententation increased from 68 percent to 86 percent, and retina examination documentation increased from 56 percent to 71 percent. The most common interventions were standing orders and patient education.
Implications
- These findings, the authors assert, add to the evidence base for integration of quality improvement into practice.