Quality of Care Indicators for Hospital Physical Therapy Units: A Systematic Review.

The authors did not appraise the quality of the indicators themselves, so two indicators on this list may differ widely in how reliable, feasible or useful they are. Only 3 of the 19 source publications reported pilot testing or reliability data, and none reported how much data collection burdens routine practice, what the predefined standard should be, or how to adjust for differences between patients. Indicators that could not be used under Spanish law or regulation were excluded, and the categories were agreed by 9 Spanish unit heads, so the list reflects that context and the authors say the classification still needs validation by experts from other countries. The review describes which indicators exist. It does not test whether using any of them improves patient outcomes.

The work was funded by the Fundacion Espanola de Calidad Asistencial. The authors state the funders played no role in the design, conduct or reporting of the study.

Do not read this as evidence that measuring these indicators improves care. The review catalogues which indicators exist and found that almost none had been tested for reliability, feasibility or their effect on patients, so it tells you what could be measured, not what works.