---
title: "Monitoring Results"
---

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"How do we know if our changes are working?"
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## Use Your Data Systems

Don't keep track of something by hand when your data systems can do it for you. Your data systems should allow you to set up:

-   Predefined, scheduled analytical reports on your performance measures

-   Quality assurance workflow triggers (flagging a report when a certain thing happens)

If you find yourself repeating a task over and over as part of your performance improvement activities, figure out how you can automate it using your data system. In other words, you can even conduct performance improvement on your performance improvement process!

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Make sure you can tell the difference between patient care information and information that's created as part of your quality assurance and performance improvement processes. QA and PI data has special legal protections so you can have frank and open communication about needed improvements without exposing your agency to legal liability. Make sure you can release patient care information without releasing QA and PI notes.
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## Use National Benchmarks

Remember the [NEMSQA measures](creating-measures.qmd#nemsqa-measures)? The <abbrev title="National EMS Information System">NEMSIS</abbrev> Technical Assistance Center's [Performance Measures Dashboard](https://nemsis.org/view-reports/public-reports/version-3-public-dashboards/v3-public-performance-measures-dashboard/) allows you to look at how agencies similar to yours are doing on many of the <abbrev title="National EMS Quality Alliance">NEMSQA</abbrev> measures. You can filter the dashboard by attributes matching your agency such as geographical region of the US, urban/rural, annual call volume, and more.

[![](images/nemsis-performance-improvement-dashboard.jpg){.toast .show fig-alt="NEMSIS Performance Measures Dashboard" fig-align="center" width="400"}](https://nemsis.org/view-reports/public-reports/version-3-public-dashboards/v3-public-performance-measures-dashboard/)

## Ongoing Measurement

It's exciting when you identify something to improve, make a change, and see positive results! Keep the momentum going by continuing to watch the data. Sometimes when you switch focus to your next performance improvement effort, you might notice that performance that you had previously improved in other areas begins to backslide. If you're continuing to watch your data, you can be aware when backsliding happens. If you catch it quickly, you can usually resolve it with just a little effort.
