Achalasia Quality Indicator Adherence

Emily Romanoff, Justin Zhuo, Annsa C. Huang, Deron Amador, Fouad Otaki, Afrin N. Kamal, Priya Kathpalia, David A. Leiman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Quality indicators (QIs) are formal ways to track health care performance and outcomes, guide quality improvement, and identify gaps in care delivery. We developed twelve quality indicators for achalasia management which cover the domains of patient education, diagnosis, and treatment of achalasia. Aim: To determine adherence to established quality indicators for achalasia management. Methods: We performed a retrospective, multicenter evaluation of care patterns for adult patients greater than 18 years old with newly diagnosed achalasia from January 2018 to May 2020. A balanced random patient sample was obtained at four large academic medical centers. Independent electronic health record chart abstraction was performed using a standardized form to determine adherence to applicable QIs. Pooled and de-identified data were analyzed to identify gaps in care. Results: A total of 120 patients were included and the overall adherence to applicable quality indicators across all centers was 86%. The median follow-up for all patients from time of diagnosis to end of study was 511 days. Clinicians adhered to all applicable quality indicators in 49 patients (39%). The quality indicator domain with the poorest adherence was patient education (67%), with 50% of patients having had a documented discussion of the risks of gastroesophageal reflux disease following surgical or endoscopic myotomy. Conclusions: Gaps in the quality of achalasia care delivery were identified, the largest of which relates to patient education about treatment risks. These findings highlight a potential area for future quality improvement studies and form the basis for developing fully specified quality measures.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)389-395
Number of pages7
JournalDigestive diseases and sciences
Volume68
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2023

Keywords

  • Achalasia
  • Clinical practice
  • Esophageal motility
  • Quality indicators

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Gastroenterology

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