Lecture 6: How do we know our health care system is health?

Question 1

What are heath indicators?

Answer 1

A single measure that is reported on regularly and that provides relevant and actionable information about health care system performance and/or population health characteristics

Question 2

Examples of health indicators

Answer 2

• Most common are those related to birth and death:
  -Total fertility rate
• Very/low birth weight babies
• Premature mortality (e.g. Years of Potential Life Lost [YPLL])
• Cause specific deaths (e.g. lung cancer deaths
• Morbidity/health status
• Self-related health status
• Presence of chronic disease (e.g. diabetes, asthma)
• Access to health care
• Having a general practitioner
• Avoidable hospitalizations

Question 3

Health Care System Indicators:

Answer 3

• Cost
• Payments to hospital
• Comparisons of resources used per patient between hospitals/areas
• Quality of care
• Screening rates (e.g. FIT tests for colorectal cancer)
• Hospital readmission rates
• Waits for surgeries (e.g. knee replacement)
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Question 4

Indicators are tools for?

Answer 4

Monitoring and communicating critical information about health care systems/population health

Question 5

Indicators are used for?

Answer 5

To support planning (identify priorities, develop and target resources)
* To track progress
* To build awareness of problems
* To identify areas for potential interventions
* To inform policy and policy makers