Measuring NHS Success

Can patients' views on health outcomes help to manage performance?

John Appleby, Nancy Devlin
January 2005 | ISBN 978 1 85717 528 8 | 12 pages | £3.00

In recent decades, medical care has adopted a more patient-centred approach. But although increasing attention is now paid to patients' health-related quality of life, the NHS does not measure this on a regular basis. This research, commissioned by the Dr Foster Ethics Committee, finds that routinely measuring patients' health outcomes, through patient questionnaires, would help the health service evaluate its work more clearly. It looks at the cost of implementing such a system and asks whether it would be cost-effective in the long run.