Guideline-based quality assurance: a conceptual framework for the definition of key elements

BMC Health Services Research

Amir Qaseem¹  Elie A. Akl²  Jeffrey Braithwaite³  Miranda Langendam⁴  Thomas Piggott⁵  Romina Brignardello-Petersen⁵  Holger J. Schünemann⁶  Philip J. van der Wees⁷  Paolo Giorgi Rossi⁸  Zuleika Saz-Parkinson⁹  Luciana Neamtiu⁹  Elena Parmelli⁹  Zbigniew Leś^1,10  David Armstrong^1,11  Markus Follmann^1,12  Joerg J. Meerpohl^1,13  Jan Adolfsson^1,14 

[1] American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, PA, USA;American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon;Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia;Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Public Health institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C16, 1280 Main Street, L8N 4K1, West Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Room 2C16, 1280 Main Street, L8N 4K1, West Hamilton, ON, Canada;Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany;Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada;Department of Rehabilitation and IQ Healthcare, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Nijmegen, Netherlands;Epidemiology Unit, Azienda USL - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy;European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via E. Fermi 2749 – TP 127, I-21027, Ispra, Italy;Evidence Prime, Kraków, Poland;Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada;Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada;German Cancer Society, Berlin, Germany;Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany;Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany;Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, Sweden & The Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;

关键词: Guidelines;    Quality indicators;    Healthcare quality;    Quality assurance;    Recommendations;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-021-06148-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn 2017, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) started developing a methodological framework for a guideline-based quality assurance (QA) scheme to improve cancer quality of care. During the first phase of the work, inconsistency emerged about the use of terminology for the definition, the conceptual underpinnings and the way QA relates to health questions that are answered in guidelines.The objective of this final of three articles is to propose a conceptual framework for an integrated approach to guideline and QA development and clarify terms and definitions for key elements. This work will inform the upcoming European Commission Initiative on Colorectal Cancer (ECICC).MethodsA multidisciplinary group of 23 experts from key organizations in the fields of guideline development, performance measurement and quality assurance participated in a mixed method approach including face-to-face dialogue and several rounds of virtual meetings. Informed by results of a systematic literature review that indicated absence of an existing framework and practical examples, we first identified the relations of key elements in guideline-based QA and then developed appropriate concepts and terminology to provide guidance.ResultsOur framework connects the three key concepts of quality indicators, performance measures and performance indicators integrated with guideline development. Quality indicators are constructs used as a guide to monitor, evaluate, and improve the quality of the structure, process and outcomes of healthcare services; performance measures are tools that quantify or describe measurable elements of practice performance; and performance indicators are quantifiable and measurable units or scores of practice, which should be guided by guideline recommendations.ConclusionsThe inconsistency in the way key terms of QA are used and defined has confused the field. Our conceptual framework defines the role, meaning and interactions of the key elements for improving quality in healthcare. It directly builds on the questions asked in guidelines and answered through recommendations. These findings will be applied in the forthcoming ECICC and for the future updates of ECIBC. These are large-scale integrated projects aimed at improving healthcare quality across Europe through the development of guideline-based QA schemes; this will help in implementing and improving our approach.

【 授权许可】

CC BY