Improving quality in general practice using the Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC-PIT) with Primary Health Network support
Samantha J. Borg A D , Maria Donald B , Koula Totsidis C , Narelle Quinn C and Claire L. Jackson AA Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, University of Queensland-Mater Research Institute, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital Campus, Herston, Qld 4006, Australia.
B Primary Care Clinical Unit, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Herston, Qld 4006, Australia.
C Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, Level 4, 990 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill, Vic. 3128, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: s.borg@uq.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 26(6) 484-491 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY20192
Submitted: 17 August 2020 Accepted: 26 October 2020 Published: 10 December 2020
Abstract
Optimal primary care sector performance is vital for ensuring the delivery of quality health services and effective clinical management of populations. The Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC-PIT) incorporates subjective staff input and objective indicators to measure 13 elements of organisational performance. This study aimed to measure change in organisational performance for general practices using the PC-PIT with Primary Health Network (PHN) support. A pre-post design was used for changes in PC-PIT subjective and objective scores. Practices used results with PHN support to complete two Plan Do Study Act initiatives and were reassessed 9-months later. PC-PIT scales were dichotomised into lower and higher scores, with odds ratios used to determine effect size. Staff survey response rates were 55.4% at baseline and 50.1% at follow up. There were modest increases in the likelihood of staff rating several elements higher at follow up. When implemented with PHN support staff, the PC-PIT has the potential for effective, focussed and sustained quality improvement, with capacity to support Health Care Home model transition and implementation.
Keywords: organisational performance, primary practice, quality improvement.
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