Systematic review develops quality index for outpatient care in stomatology

This systematic review describes the development of a three-dimensional (structure-process-outcome) evaluation index system for outpatient healthcare quality, specifically within stomatological hospitals in China. The authors constructed the final index to comprise 3 first-level indicators, 16 second-level indicators, and 77 third-level indicators. Through an expert coordination process, the weights for the first-level indicators were determined as process quality (0.340), outcome quality (0.333), and structural quality (0.328). The highest-weighted third-level indicator was identified as the outpatient medical record writing qualification rate, with a weight of 0.044. The expert coordination coefficients improved from 0.209 in the first round to 0.365 in the second round (p < 0.05), indicating increasing consensus among the experts.

The authors note that the consistency ratio for the expert ratings was 0.041, which is within the acceptable threshold for methodological rigor. This review is a methodological exercise focused on creating a framework for quality assessment. It does not evaluate the impact of implementing this index system on patient outcomes or clinical effectiveness. A key limitation is that the development was specific to the Chinese stomatology setting, and its generalizability to other healthcare systems or specialties has not been tested. The findings provide a structured tool for administrators to consider for quality management, but its practical utility would require validation through implementation studies.