Do the national performance tables really indicate the performance of accident and emergency departments?
The national performance figures do not correlate with the quality of the initial assessment; comparisons based on these figures are therefore misleading. More effective performance indicators are available, which would provide a truer indication of the quality of accident and emergency services.
In the surveyed PHCs, there are clinically important risks for misidentification of patients and erroneous test results, with consequences for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Quality interventions, aimed at improving VBS practices, are needed to ensure patient safety.