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The Big Picture

What to Say
How to Say It
Into The Hands of The Consumer
Refining What You Do
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Making Quality Measures Manageable

Comparing Results

Talking About Statistics

Saying It Clearly

Designing Your Report

Choosing Media

   

How To Say It

How can you provide your audience with information on quality that is easy for them to understand and use? Health care quality data are inherently complex: consumers must figure out what each measure tells them about the quality of care, whether that information is relevant for them, and how to interpret unfamiliar statistics. By guiding them through these mental tasks, you can provide a valuable service.

This section presents a framework and guidelines for displaying and talking about quality information. Because this field is so new, there is no set of "best practices" you can adopt. But this section can help you weigh the pros and cons of different approaches and identify the issues and questions you need to consider. It also suggests approaches to the presentation of data that have been found to be effective and recommends several techniques for making your information easier to access, read, and interpret.

This section reviews the following topics:

  • Making Quality Measures Manageable. Learn ways to help your audience take in large amounts of information and focus on the concerns they care about most.
  • Comparing Results. Explore the pros and cons of different approaches to presenting comparative performance information.
  • Talking About Statistics. Read about strategies for helping your audience deal with statistical information.
  • Saying It Clearly. Consider suggestions for polishing the text and graphics in your report so that the publication is easier to read, easier to understand, and generally more appealing.
  • Designing Your Report. Learn how to use the art of graphic design to improve both the clarity and the attractiveness of the material in your quality report.
  • Choosing Media. Find out how the medium you choose affects the ways in which you can present information.

 

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