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How CareFacts (TM) and The Omaha System Can Be Used
To Improve Quality of Care

by Sandra M. Raup, RD, CNSD

I. Identify a problem or care.

II. Assess the scope of the problem or care.

1. How many clients have this problem?
2. How many visits and what time period is involved? What is the variation?
3. What medications, supplies, equipment, etc. are commonly used?

III. Set up protocol for data gathering.

1. Make sure all language used for assessment and cares are defined and agreed upon.
2. Flag all necessary components for that care as mandatory, to set up for automatic sorting and analyzing.
3. Determine number of clients or length of time to collect data.

IV. Collect data as part of normal assessment and client visit process. Reassess quality of data once or twice during data collection.

V. Analyze the collected data.

1. What factors most strongly predicted good or poor outcomes?
2. How often were desired outcomes met?
3. What interfered with compliance with the care plan?
4. What practices, if any, were unnecessary or of minimal importance?
5. What was the total cost of care -- average and range.

VI. Define Protocol to standardize care as much as possible, using information from the previous step.

VII. Study protocol for defined period of time. Compare outcomes to previously collected outcome data.

Citation: Raup, S. (1993). How CareFacts HCTM and The Omaha System Can Be Used To Improve Quality of Care. The Quality Messenger, 1(1), 7.

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