The objective of the activity is to improve the practices and competence of health practitioners engaged in the activity by assessing the health services performed by those health practitioners.

(1) The activity is based on information derived from health practitioners who provide health services on behalf of the Taranaki District Health Board.

(2) The activity involves—

• (a) the examination of patients' records; and

• (b) the analysis of the following data on patients:

  • (i) admission and discharge; and

  • (ii) drug utilisation; and

  • (iii) morbidity; and

  • (iv) mortality; and

  • (v) outcomes of treatment; and

• (c) the identification and analysis of any process or practice that results in an outcome for patients which may, but need not, be an adverse outcome; and

• (d) the holding of peer review meetings; and

• (e) the review of—

  • (i) patient management; and

  • (ii) treatment decisions; and

  • (iii) internal auditing procedures; and

• (f) the making of recommendations on how the health practitioners who are engaging in the activity can improve their performance so as to—

  • (i) improve the quality of care they provide; and

  • (ii) reduce the incidence of adverse outcomes; and

• (g) the facilitation and monitoring of the implementation of any such recommendations.