Leading methodologies in effective quality improvement put performance measurement at the center of their efforts to inform, shape, and track improvements in care. 

Donald Berwick, M.D., president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, asserts that patients, in this case parents and children, are the most underutilized resource in informing and ensuring that improvements in health care quality occur. 

The PHDS complements and enhances measurement and improvement activities by achieving the following:

• Content focus on aspects of care that matter to the consumer. A key component of the development of the PHDS was focus groups and interviews with consumers about what clinically recommended aspects of care matter the most to them. Using the PHDS helps ensure that measurement and improvement efforts are focused on areas of care that matter to consumers.
• Involving the consumer in the process. Through completing the PHDS, the parent is part of the measurement process. This provides users with an opportunity to partner with parents not only in the measurement of quality of care, but parents can also participate in helping to improve the care provided.

As the focus and emphasis on quality measurement and improvement increases, it is valuable to consider how a consumer-centered approach such as the PHDS can enhance and maximize such efforts.