I’m working on a project looking at some outcomes that might eventually become part of a report card or benchmarking system. This is an area fraught with controversy and it needs to be handled very carefully. Here are a few references that I have accumulated that address some of these issues.
Random Ranking of Hospitals is Unsound. Andersson J, Carling K, Mattson S. Chance 1998: 11(3); 34-37,39.
A review of literature on benchmarking [PDF]. Dattakumar R, Dattakumar R. Accessed on 2004-08-27. www.oulu.fi/w5w/benchmarking/artikkelit/dattakumar.pdf
The Relation between the Availability of Neonatal Intensive Care and Neonatal Mortality. Goodman DC, Fisher ES, Little GA, Stukel TA, Chang C-h, Schoendorf KS. N Engl J Med 2002: 346(20); 1538-1544. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
Making self regulation credible. Through benchmarking, peer review, appraisal-and management [editorial]. Johnson J. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7148); 1847-8. [Medline] [Full text]
Benchmarking Hospital Lengths of Stay Using Histograms. Lagoe RJ. Nursing Economics 1999: 17(2); 75-83. [Medline]
Reliability of league tables of in vitro fertilisation clinics: retrospective analysis of live birth rates. Marshall EC, Spiegelhalter DJ. British Medical Journal 1998: 316(7146); 1701-4; discussion 1705. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
Mortality and volume of cases in paediatric cardiac surgery: retrospective study based on routinely collected data. Spiegelhalter DJ. Bmj 2001: 323; 1-5. [Medline] [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
Practical Benchmarking for Mutual Improvement. Thor CG (1995) Portland, Oregon: Productivity Press.
Lessons from the Bristol case. More openness--on risks and on individual surgeons' performance [editorial]. Treasure T. Bmj 1998: 316(7146); 1685-6. [Medline] [Full text] [PDF]
Cardiac surgical services in Bristol are now of high quality. [letter]. Willie P, Hughes D. Bmj 1998: 316(7149); 1986. [Medline] [Full text]
You can find an earlier version of this page on my original website.