BACKGROUND: National and international agencies charged with assuring quality of healthcare need to select quality indicators. This study aimed to identify criteria used to prioritize healthcare quality measures, with particular focus on healthcare disparities. METHODS: A scoping review (osf.io/e5duc) combined comprehensive scientific literature review searches in seven databases with detailed reviews of gray literature sources in December 2024. We mapped the criteria across various identified approaches, documenting similarities and differences. RESULTS: We identified 103 criteria sets; sets were intended for population/public health and general or specific healthcare settings. The use of formal consensus methods and involvement of interest -holders varied. Commonly used criteria included importance, validity, reliability, feasibility, scientific soundness, improvability, and usability of measures, but operationalizations varied. The need for parsimony and minimizing measurement burden was a recurring theme, along with calls for alignment with broader health system goals. CONCLUSIONS: Selecting criteria for quality-of-care and healthcare disparities has implications for how the quality-of-care is scored, healthcare organizations are evaluated, and healthcare is delivered. This review documents the process and relative frequency of proposed criteria. Many different criteria have been suggested, and approaches vary considerably across agencies, highlighting the complexity and diversity of the process.
Zhang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.