AHCPR Updates CONQUEST Database

Media Advisory Date: June 4, 1997

The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research today released an update to the clinical performance measures database first released last year. CONQUEST 1.1, the COmputerized Needs-oriented QUality measurement Evaluation SysTem, has been changed to make it more user-friendly and compatible with a variety of operating systems.

CONQUEST is a quality improvement software tool that helps users identify, understand, evaluate and select measures to assess and improve clinical performance. It summarizes information on approximately 1,200 clinical performance measures developed by public and private sector organizations to examine the quality of clinical care. CONQUEST describes measures using a common language and provides a research short-cut by identifying specific types of measures that may be modifiable or adaptable for a user's own unique needs. If modified, the measures should be retested for validity and reliability.

Organized in an easy-to-use format, CONQUEST consists of two interlocking databases—a Condition Database and a Measure Database—that allow users to target specific conditions or measures. The Condition Database includes information on 52 clinical conditions; the Measure Database contains information on the 1,200 measures contained in 53 measure sets. Users can produce pre-programmed or custom reports, and can add measures and conditions to the database.

The 1.1 version functions as a run-time program in Windows® 3.1 and higher including Windows® 95. Microsoft®'s Access® 2.0 is no longer required, but still may be used to complete keyword searches or add to the database. The User's Guide has been updated with clearer instructions and an index.

CONQUEST diskettes (Pub. No. 97-DP01) and the User's Guide (Pub. No. 97-R001) are available free from the AHCPR Publications Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 8547, Silver Spring, MD 20907, or 1-800-358-9295. Free technical assistance with CONQUEST is available through AHCPR's Quality Measurement Network (QMNet) contractor by calling 1-800-865-5380.

For additional information, contact AHCPR Public Affairs: Karen Carp, (301) 427-1858 (KCarp@ahrq.gov); Karen Migdail, (301) 427-1855 (KMigdail@ahrq.gov) Salina Prasad, (301) 427-1864 (SPrasad@ahrq.gov).

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Internet Citation:

AHCPR Updates CONQUEST Database. Press Release, June 4, 1997. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/conqstpr.htm

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