Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): Outcome Assessment (Health Care)

Outcome assessment in healthcare refers to the process of measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of healthcare interventions and treatments. This can include assessing patient outcomes, such as changes in health status or quality of life, as well as assessing the effectiveness of healthcare systems, policies, and programs. Outcome assessment can be used to identify areas of improvement in healthcare and to inform decisions about patient care and healthcare resource allocation.

Examples of outcome assessment in healthcare include:

Patient satisfaction surveys, which measure patients’ perceptions of the quality of care they received

Clinical outcome measures, which measure changes in patients’ health status or quality of life

Health systems outcome measures, which measure the effectiveness of healthcare systems, policies, and programs

Cost-effectiveness analysis, which measures the relative costs and benefits of different healthcare interventions

Outcome assessment in healthcare is typically carried out by healthcare professionals such as nurses, physicians, and healthcare administrators. In addition, there are healthcare outcome researchers, data analysts, and statisticians who are specialized in designing, implementing and analyzing outcome assessment studies. Outcome assessment typically involves the use of various data collection and analysis methods, such as surveys, interviews, and statistical analysis.