Performance Measures In healthcare the terms "balanced scorecard" and "dashboard" are used to describe performance measurement tools that are both broad in scope and yet summarized in a few key...

create a specific dashboard for an operating unit of a healthcare organization. Select
and describe a specific healthcare operating unit.
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The following dashboard is for a palliative care unit. In overseeing the treatment of
the terminally ill, palliative care is different from many other healthcare organisations such as
emergency departments or surgical services, since remediation is often not a possible
outcome, and standard outcome- and rehabilitation measures cannot be applied. Pain
management and family/ social management are far more important than in most medical
specialties. The dashboard covers four core areas; survival, psychological distress, team
effectiveness, and financial value. Each piece of literature reflects one of these measures.
Survival rates will be assessed through the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), as
examined in Lau et al. (2009). Here, we are given an overview of the PPS and shown that it is
an effective predictor and optimiser of survival rates, and accurate in both measuring and
optimising survival estimates. As such, PPS is an ideal palliative care tool. PPS covers five
domains, namely ambulation, activity and evidence of disease, self-care, intake, and level of
consciousness, and it shows great promise in improving survival prognostication and
maximisation.
Fennel et al (2010) looks at the question of team effectiveness in cross-disciplinary
units. After a review of the literature, the paper outlines a conceptual model of the
connections among team structure, process, and performance. This model can lead to the
ongoing positive effects on care processes and patient outcomes.
Psychological distress methods will be based on Thekkumpurath et al (2009), In this
paper, Thekkumpurath et al found that more than one-third of palliative care patients
experience psychological distress, and that touch screen-based screening tools performed as
well as well as a psychiatric interview in identifying distress. This suggests the process could
e automated to a large degree, increasing resource efficiency substantially.
Finally, financial methods will be covered in reference Paz-Ruiz et al. (2009). In this
paper, the cost benefit of a palliative care programme that deeply integrates the environment
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is considered. (Paz-Ruiz, 2009) looks into a World Health Organisation palliative care
programme project in Catalonia, which produced significant cost savings for the regional
health system. He identifies a series of conditions that are major determinants of the palliative
care program's success, and relates them directly to improvements in financial efficiency.
Given the aging population, it is critical to focus around this longer term approach to
palliative care...