Back to the Future: Clinical Vignettes and the Measurement of Physician Performance

Abstract

Editorials16 November 2004Back to the Future: Clinical Vignettes and the Measurement of Physician PerformanceJohn Norcini, PhDJohn Norcini, PhDFrom Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-141-10-200411160-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The past 2 decades have seen many efforts to improve the quality of health care. These efforts have relied on a series of methods devised by workers in the field of quality management science and, in some cases, used successfully in industry for more than 50 years (1, 2).Measuring performance is central to the quality management sciences. The principal measures in health care are patient outcomes and the process of care that physicians provide in practice. These measures identify areas that need improvement, signal the accomplishment of goals, and respond to the need for accountability (3). Unfortunately, methods of ...