Table 1 Key elements of QAF

Definition

This quality indicator, expressed as a score, evaluates the state of the anesthesia file.

For every file chosen at random, a quality score between 0 and 1 is calculated based on a maximum of 13 criteria. The closer the score is to 1, the higher the estimated quality of the file.

Criteria

 1. Patient identification on every page of the file

Pre-anesthesia

 2. Anesthetist named in file (pre-anesthesia consultation or visit)

 3. Records from pre-anesthesia visit attached (pre-anesthesia visit)

 4. Ongoing medical treatment (or lack of treatment) recorded in file (pre-anesthesia consultation or visit)

 5. Evaluation of anesthesia risk recorded in file (pre-anesthesia consultation or visit)

 6. Type of anesthesia proposed to patient recorded in file (pre-anesthesia consultation or visit)

 7. Pre-anesthesia evaluation of access to upper airways recorded in file (pre-anesthesia consultation or visit)

Anesthesia during intervention

 8. Anesthetist present during intervention named in file

 9. Technical approach for access to upper airways recorded in file (if applicable)

Immediate post-anesthesia care

 10. Anesthetist present at post-intervention named in file (if applicable)

 11. Anesthetist’s signature authorizing patient’s discharge from recovery room in file (if applicable)

 12. Post-intervention medical prescriptions recorded (if applicable)

Throughout

 13. Space for recording peri-anesthesia incidents or accidents

Sample Size

A sample size of 60 files in each health care organization is used to calculate an average score

Type of Indicator

Process indicator.

Composite indicator.

Risk adjustment: no.