Performance measures should include patient actions: Report

The actions -- or inaction -- of patients should be considered in programs designed to improve care and patient outcomes, according to a report. The work of doctors and other clinicians is often evaluated based on "performance measures," specific measurable steps that should be taken or avoided in treating patients for specific conditions. For instance, whether aspirin is given within the first 24 hours of a patient arriving at a hospital having a heart attack is an important performance measure...