Hospital outcomes management:The Care Continuum and Health Outcomes Project

Abstract

The Care Continuum and Health Outcomes Project is part of a national initiativeto build an outcomes management approach in health care. This paper examines thebaseline performance of the study: In 1995?96, 7154 Australian Capital Territoryhospital inpatients were selected to take part in a five-wave survey over six months.In addition to the survey, the project involved the unit record linkage of routine datacollections. A total of 5668 people (79%) agreed to participate in the survey, with85% of these people agreeing to release their Medicare data. There were significantvariations in participation rates between hospitals and wards. Factors contributingto these variations included patient socioeconomic status, disease type and illnessseverity. In conclusion, the success in establishing the project indicates that it is possibleto conduct a broad scientific study within the health system, and that there are strongimplications that ongoing scientific evaluations can be embedded within routineclinical practice.