Table 1 Characteristics of the reviews included

Gandjour A, 2002 [11]

(Germany)

PubMed

Up to July 2000

An Evidence-Based Evaluation of Quality and Efficiency Indicators.

To identify and appraise quality and efficiency indicators relevant to hospitals or physicians’ practices.

Seven structural indicators and 34 process indicators were identified and appraised. The set of performance indicators could serve as a state-of-the-art system of measurement for governments and organizations evaluating the quality and efficiency of healthcare.

Veillard J, 2005 [4]

(Spain, Canada, The Netherlands, USA)

PubMed

Web Of Science

2003–2005

A performance assessment framework for hospitals: the WHO regional office for Europe PATH project.

To describe the first step of PATH project: to develop an overall framework for hospital performance assessment.

Six dimensions were identified: clinical effectiveness (3 subdimensions: appropriateness of care, conformity of processes of care, n outcomes of care and safety processes for a total number of 7 indicators), safety (2 indicators), patient centeredness (5 indicators), production efficiency (3 subdimensions: appropriateness of services, productivity, use of capacity for a total of 4 indicators), staff orientation (3 subdimensions: perspective and recognition of individual needs, health promotion and safety initiatives, behavioral response for a total of 4 indicators) and responsive governance (2 subdimensions: system integration and continuity, public health orientation with 1 indicator each).

Groene O, 2008 [3]

(Spain, Denmark)

PubMed

Web Of Science

1995–2008

An international review of projects on hospital performance assessment.

To identify and compare current indicator projects, and raise questions regarding the impact of hospital performance assessment that should be pursued.

Eleven projects were included that appear to have adopted a common methodology for the design and selection of indicators; six dimensions were described: clinical effectiveness, staff orientation, responsive governance, safety, patient centeredness, efficiency.

Copnell B, 2009 [6]

(Australia)

PubMed

Web Of Science

1999–2009

Measuring the quality of hospital care: an inventory of indicators.

To identify and classify indicators currently in use to measure the quality of care provided by hospitals, and to identify gaps in current measurement.

383 discrete indicators were identified from 22 source organizations or projects. 27.2% were hospital-wide, 26.1% were related to surgical patients and 46.7% to non-surgical specialties, departments or diseases. Cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology and mental health were the specialties with greatest coverage, while nine clinical specialties had fewer than three specific indicators. Processes of care were measured by 54.0% of indicators and outcomes by 38.9%. Safety and effectiveness were the domains most frequently represented, with relatively few indicators measuring the other dimensions. The dimensions described were safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, patient-centeredness, equity.

Beyan OD, 2012 [1]

(Turkey)

PubMed

Web Of Science

2000–2012

A Knowledge Based Search Tool for Performance Measures in Health Care Systems.

To design a tool that simplifies the performance indicator search process and to provide most relevant indicators by employing knowledge based systems.

A multidimensional conceptual framework to identify features of performance measurement was designed. Through literature analysis, 4 main strata were found which defined the performance measurement studies: stakeholder, data, indicator and target levels. The dimensions described were acceptability, accessibility, appropriateness, care environment and amenities, continuity, competence or capability, effectiveness, improving health or clinical focus, expenditure or cost, efficiency, equity, governance, patient-centeredness, safety, sustainability, timeliness, utilization.

Simou E, 2014 [12]

Greece

PubMed

Web Of Science

1980–2010

Developing a national framework of quality indicators for public hospitals.

To describe the development of a preliminary set of quality indicators for public Greek National Health System hospitals.

Twenty relevant projects and their 1698 indicators were selected through a literature search, and after the consensus panel process, a list of 67 indicators were selected to be implemented for the assessment of the public hospitals categorized in the following dimensions: effectiveness (6 indicators), safety (6 indicators), patient-centeredness (5 indicators), staff orientation (6 indicators), efficiency (10 indicators), utilization (5 indicators), timeliness (4 indicators), and resources and capacity (25 indicators).