Profession
Data on quality of care hard to find
■ An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.
Quick View. Posted Nov. 13, 2006
Most patients say they're unhappy with the quality of health care, but they're not sure how to find, or use, quality data.
A Kaiser Family Foundation and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality survey found that 51% of respondents were dissatisfied, up from 43% in a similar poll from October 2004. Patients' opinions and awareness about the details of health care quality and safety did not change, although more now say they know what "medical error" means.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, "2006 Update on Consumers' Views of Patient Safety and Quality Information"