Track the percentage of regular patients with a blood pressure result in the past 6 months. Use key metrics to help you set, track, measure, and action your practice goal!
Cubiko's Quality Improvement cabinet provides a tool for your practice team to use to participate in and complete Quality Improvement activities that are specific to your practice. Our Quality Improvement metrics will allow you to review areas in your practice that may need improvement.
To navigate to this metric, go to Clinic Optimisation > Quality Improvement > Patient impact
TOP TIP! This metric is based on the ten specified Quality Improvement Measures (QIM) as outlined by The Department of Health and Aged Care. You can view the Technical Specifications here.
The sections included in this article are:
- Goal: Use this overview to understand if your goal is achievable
- Measure: Are you on track to reach your goals?
- Action: View your patient list and begin actioning your goal
- Key information about this metric
Goal
Use this overview to understand if your goal is achievable.
Proportion of patients with diabetes with a blood pressure result
The main percentage figure on the left represents the percentage of your patients with diabetes with a blood pressure result recorded on their patient file in the last 6 months and have had 3 or more visits in the last 2 years.
Here you will also see:
- The total number of regular patients who are diagnosed with diabetes in your practice.
- The total number of patients with diabetes who have had a blood pressure result in the past 6 months.
- The total number of those patients that are coming into the practice today and need a blood pressure reading (as not one recorded on their patient file in the last 6 months).
- The practice goal and the percentage you have achieved of your total goal.
- The number of blood pressure readings that need to be performed on diabetic patients in your practice to reach your practice goal.
TOP TIP! Update your practice goal in Settings > Advanced > QI Goals.
The goals that you set here will be shown in the metrics.
NOTE! Patients who have a Telehealth appointment booked are excluded by default from the number of patients coming into the practice today needing a blood pressure recorded.
When your completion rate reaches around 90% of your target, you might want to begin including them and make your next goal to begin scheduling these patients for a face-to-face appointment, in order for them to have their blood pressure recorded.
To include telehealth appointments, tick the box located in your filters.
Measure
Are you on track to reach your goals?
Use the metrics below to track how you have progressed with recording a blood pressure reading for your diabetic patients in the last quarter. Use the forecaster section on the trend graph to look ahead and identify the number of patients who are forecasted to still have a blood pressure reading recorded on their patient file.
This can be measured against the practice goal which can be amended in the Settings area of Cubiko. This data can be used to help study the progress of your Quality Improvement activity and record your Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle.
TOP TIP! Remember to record your targets in a PDSA cycle template and record your actions, how you measured them, and what you plan to do next. A free PDSA template can be downloaded here.
Percentage of patients with diabetes with a blood pressure result, last quarter
This figure represents the proportion of patients with diabetes who had a blood pressure result, for the previous PIP quarter.
NOTE: PIP Quarters are defined as:
- 1 November to 31 January
- 1 February to 30 April
- 1 May to 31 July
- 1 August to 31 August
Trend of blood pressure results for diabetic patients
This metric shows key measures relating to the practice's recording of blood pressure results at the practice for patients who have had diabetes recorded as part of their clinical record.
If looking ahead on the trend graph using the date range, the forecasted percentage of patients with a blood pressure result references the patients who are forecasted to still have a current blood pressure result recorded on their patient file at that date.
These can be measured against the practice goal which can be amended in the Settings area of Cubiko. This data can be used to help study the progress of your Quality Improvement activity and record in your Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle.
TOP TIP! Using the trend graph, we are able to forecast ahead as well as look back historically.
The forecast is based on your current count of diabetic patients and the expiration dates of their blood pressure result.
For example, if we have 50 diabetic patients today with only 25 of them with a blood pressure reading, we will assume that we have 50 diabetic patients every day, but when the blood pressure reading expires (ie. no longer within the 6-month date range from the date recorded), only the blood pressure readings for patients still current will be counted.
As the data syncs each day, an updated number of patients with a diabetes diagnosis will be counted and factored into the forecaster.
Action
View your patient list and begin actioning your goal.
Patients with diabetes needing a blood pressure observation
This table lists the details of all patients with diabetes who have not had a blood pressure reading recorded (either systolic or diastolic) on their patient file within the last 6 months.
This list may contain inactive patients who meet the requirements to be counted towards this metric.
The patient list provides you with the opportunity to select patients who have an appointment coming up, to be able to opportunistically record a blood pressure reading to those patients indicated on this list.
This may be the first step you take to introduce this QI measure to your team.
Use the 'Patients with...' drop-down on the right-hand side of the table, select the option to review this list daily or you can view it for a date range ahead of time to proactively book patients in for a blood pressure reading.
If time permits on the day, the patient can be seen for a blood pressure reading. If not, you can ask the patient to rebook for a future date.
TOP TIP! The patient list contains various columns to sort your data. You may want to prioritise patients who have not had a blood pressure reading for some time by sorting your column Last blood pressure result in ascending order.
Key information about this metric
This metric is based on specifications from The Department of Health and Aged Care.
Points to note:
- The date range selector is set to match the PIP Quarters.
- This metric page contains an alternative definition of RACGP active patients. On this page, Cubiko defines active patients as those who have had three or more visits recorded over the last two years.
- Patients who have had gestational diabetes but also have Type 2 diabetes will be included.
- Patients marked as inactive in your database will be included if they meet the criteria mentioned above.
- Remember to record your targets in a PDSA cycle template and record your actions, how you measured them, and what you plan to do next. A free PDSA template can be downloaded here.