Finding missing pieces: Report highlights importance of outcomes data

August 16, 2012—Learning about gains in Canadians’ health status—especially from patients themselves—would provide a more comprehensive picture of population health and health care services, according to a report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Statistics Canada. There is currently little clear connection between processes of care and outcomes—important information in determining the value obtained from health care investments. Although there are no standard, comprehensive, repeated measures of health status at the population level in Canada that could be used to assess outcomes of care, the country has seen progress: - In home and continuing care, the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) system allows care providers to gauge individuals’ progress. - In rehabilitation, the FIM® instrument helps care providers assess patients’ physical and cognitive status. Both of these tools feed into CIHI databases, allowing the reports to inform decisions at multiple levels in the health care system. More info is here.