Performance measurement through audit, feedback, and profiling as tools for improving clinical care

Clinical audits and practice profiling have become popular tools in the att empt to change physician behavior to improve quality of care. Unfortunately , the growing need for information on quality of care has often outpaced th e development of standard, valid, and reliable approaches to using these to ols. The studies of performance measurement published in the literature to date demonstrate varying impact on ability to improve clinical care; few ar e randomized controlled trials. While performance measurement has become a common practice, the science surrounding this field is still in its early s tages of development; while it seems promising, it should be viewed as larg ely experimental.