In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the pursuit of enhancing patient care while managing costs effectively is paramount. The Clinical Value Compass Worksheet, devised in 1995 by Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic, stands as a pivotal tool in this quest. Its design assists healthcare professionals in focusing on a specific patient population, with an overarching goal to diminish the illness burden for these individuals. To achieve this, the worksheet guides users through a process beginning with the selection of a clinically significant population and culminating in the identification of key measures of outcomes and costs. This journey involves assembling an interdisciplinary team, employing brainstorming or the nominal group technique for a comprehensive list of measures, and then narrowing these down through multivoting to a manageable set that balances relevance with the feasibility of data collection. Side A of the worksheet is dedicated to outlining the process, including the aim and desired results for the patient population, while Side B is more technical, focusing on providing specific operational definitions for the selected measures. This includes a clear instruction set on how each variable is to be measured, ensuring consistency and reliability in data gathering. The ultimate goal is to select measures that contribute most significantly to the value of care, spanning across a spectrum of outcomes and costs such as functional status, mental health, clinical satisfaction, morbidity, and both direct medical and indirect social costs. This comprehensive approach not only aids healthcare providers in enhancing patient care but also contributes to the broader discussion on healthcare delivery and cost management.
| Question | Answer |
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| Form Name | Value Compass Worksheet Form |
| Form Length | 2 pages |
| Fillable? | Yes |
| Fillable fields | 37 |
| Avg. time to fill out | 7 min 54 sec |
| Other names | value compass, picture of a personal compass exercise fillable, value clinical compass, values compass worksheet |
Clinical Value Compass Worksheet, Side A
OUTCOMES Select a population
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(specify patient population) |
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AIM |
What's the general aim? Given our wish to limit or reduce the illness burden for "this type" of patient, what are the desired results? |
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TIPS: Path Forward
Worksheet purpose: To identify measures of outcomes/costs that contribute most to the value of care.
1.Select a clinically significant population.
2.Assemble small interdisciplinary team.
3.Use brainstorming or nominal group technique to generate "long" list of measures
4.Start with west (clinical) on the compass and go clockwise around the compass.
5.Use multivoting to identify "short" list of 4 to 12 key measures of outcomes and costs.
6.Determine what data are needed versus what data can be obtained in real time at affordable cost.
7.Use side B of worksheet to record names and definitions of selected measures of value.
VALUE Select starter set of outcomes/cost measures
Functional
Physical function
Mental health
Social/Role
Other (eg, pain, health risk
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Satisfaction |
Mortality |
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Health care delivery |
Morbidity |
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Perceived health |
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Complications |
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benefit |
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Costs
Direct medical
Indirect social
Copyright 1995 Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic
Clinical Value Compass Worksheet, Side B
SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS for key outcome and cost measures
TIPS: Writing Definitions
Aconceptual definition is a brief statement describing a variable of interest. It should tell people what you want to measure and who "owns" it.
An operational definition is a clearly specified method for reliably sorting, classifying, or measuring a variable. It should be written as an instruction set, or protocol, that would enable two different people to measure the variable, by using the same process and thereby producing the same result. It should explain to people how a variable should be measured.
Variable name and brief conceptual definition |
Source of data and operational definition |
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Owner:
B.
Owner:
C.
Owner:
D.
Owner:
E.
Owner:
F.
Owner:
G.
Owner:
H.
Owner:
Copyright 1995 Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic