COVID-19 Intubation Safety: A Multidisciplinary, Rapid-Cycle Model of Improvement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the health care industry to develop dynamic protocols to maximize provider safety as aerosolizing procedures, specifically intubation, increase the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2. The authors sought to create a quality improvement framework to ensure safe practices for intubating providers, and describe a multidisciplinary model developed at an academic tertiary care facility centered on rapid-cycle improvements and real-time gap analysis to track adherence to COVID-19 intubation safety protocols. The model included an Intubation Safety Checklist, a standardized documentation template for intubations, obtaining real-time feedback, and weekly multidisciplinary team meetings to review data and implement improvements. This study captured 68 intubations in suspected COVID-19 patients and demonstrated high personal protective equipment compliance at the institution, but also identified areas for process improvement. Overall, the authors posit that an interdisciplinary workgroup and the integration of standardized processes can be used to enhance intubation safety among providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Factors associated with increases over time in the quality of Active Support in supported accommodation services for people with intellectual disabilities: A multi-level model.

BACKGROUND: Disability support organisations have embraced Active Support, but it has proved difficult to embed in services. AIMS: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with increases over time in the quality of Active Support. METHOD: Data were collected on the predicted variable of the quality of Active Support, and predictor variables of service user, staff and service characteristics, including practice leadership, and composition and size of services from 51 services in 8 organisations over 2-7 time points. Data were analysed using multi-level modelling. RESULTS: There was significant linear change in Active Support scores (group mean centered at the organisational level) over time. Individuals with lower support needs received better Active Support and those with higher support needs experienced greater increases over time. Stronger practice leadership and more staff with training in Active Support were significant predictors of the quality of Active Support. Larger services with seven or more individuals and where there was a very heterogeneous mix of individuals were associated with lower quality of support. CONCLUSIONS: Ensuring strong practice leadership, and staff training in Active Support that emphasises the principle of adapting support to each individual's level of ability and preferences are key to delivering high levels of Active Support.

Improving quality of care in general practices by self-audit, benchmarking and quality circles.

Guideline adherence of general practitioners (GP) regarding treatment of chronic conditions shows room for improvement. Thus, concepts have to be designed to promote quality of care. The aim of the interventional study "Improvement of Quality by Benchmarking" was to assess whether quality can be improved by self-auditing, benchmarking and quality circles in Salzburg (Austria) and South Tyrol (Italy). In this publication we present the Austrian results. Quality indicators were developed in a consensus process for eight chronic diseases based on pre-existing quality management systems. A quality score consisting of 35 indicators was calculated (0-5 points per indicator depending on fulfilment, maximum 175 points). Data were extracted from the electronic health records of participating practices in 2012, 2013 and 2014. A statistical pre-post analysis was performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. A total of 20 GPs participated in the project. The mean quality score increased from 62.0 at baseline to 84.0 at the second follow-up (p = 0.003). Regarding the individual quality indicators, strong improvements were achieved between baseline and first follow-up, especially in process indicators concerning documentation. Between the first and second follow-up, quality remained in most cases at the same level. The validity of results is limited because of structural and technical problems. Due to the uncontrolled pre-post design we cannot exclude external influences on the results. Nevertheless, the intervention was able to improve measured quality of care. Barriers were detected that should be considered in a possible implementation of quality control programs.

Experiencia de unidad de soporte a las segundas víctimas (USVIC) / Experience of a second victims support unit (USVIC)

No disponible

European Network for Patient Safety and Quality of Care: PaSQ / La red de la Unión Europea para la Seguridad del Paciente y la Calidad Asistencial: PasQ

No disponible

Rediseño del proceso de alta hospitalaria / Redesigning the hospital discharge process

Objetivo. Mostrar que el rediseño y la planificación del proceso de alta hospitalaria adelantan la hora de salida del paciente del medio hospitalario. Material y método. Estudio cuasiexperimental, realizado entre enero de 2011 y abril de 2013, en un hospital comarcal. Los casos analizados fueron de las unidades de enfermería médicas y quirúrgicas. El proceso fue rediseñado para coordinar a todos los profesionales que intervienen en el proceso. La mejora del proceso de alta hospitalaria se realizó a través de la creación de un grupo de trabajo, el análisis de los datos retrospectivos y la identificación de las áreas de mejora y rediseño. La variable dependiente fue la hora de alta administrativa del paciente. La muestra fue clasificada en preintervención, intraintervención y postintervención en función del momento temporal del estudio. Resultados. La muestra, tras aplicar los criterios de inclusión y exclusión, fue de 14.788 pacientes. El tiempo medio de salida de alta disminuyó de forma significativa en 50 min entre los periodos preintervención y postintervención. La salida en pacientes con alta planificada fue una hora y 25 min menor que en los pacientes no planificados. Conclusiones. El rediseño de procesos es una estrategia útil para mejorar el proceso de alta hospitalaria. Además, la planificación del alta se muestra como un elemento clave para que el paciente abandone el centro sanitario antes de las 12 de la mañana (AU)

Objective. The aim of this article is to show that the redesign and planning process of hospital discharge advances the departure time of the patient from a hospital environment. Material and method. Quasi-experimental study conducted from January 2011 to April 2013, in a local hospital. The cases analysed were from medical and surgical nursing units. The process was redesigned to coordinate all the professionals involved in the process. The hospital discharge improvement process improvement was carried out by forming a working group, the analysis of retrospective data, identifying areas for improvement, and its redesign. The dependent variable was the time of patient administrative discharge. The sample was classified as pre-intervention, inter-intervention, and post-intervention, depending on the time point of the study. Results. The final sample included 14,788 patients after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean discharge release time decreased significantly by 50 min between pre-intervention and post-intervention periods. The release time in patients with planned discharge was one hour and 25 min less than in patients with unplanned discharge. Conclusions. Process redesign is a useful strategy to improve the process of hospital discharge. Besides planning the discharge, it is shown that the patient leaving the hospital before 12 midday is a key factor (AU)

La investigación biomédica hospitalaria a través de la satisfacción de los profesionales de un Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria / Hospital biomedical research through the satisfaction of a Health Research Institute professionals

Objetivo. Los Institutos de Investigación Sanitaria son una apuesta estratégica de gran alcance para impulsar la investigación biomédica en los hospitales. Evaluar la satisfacción de sus usuarios es un requisito de calidad imprescindible. El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar la satisfacción de los profesionales de un Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, centro de investigación biomédica hospitalaria por excelencia. Métodos. Estudio observacional a través de un cuestionario de satisfacción a los investigadores de un Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria. Las dimensiones exploradas derivaron de los servicios ofrecidos a los investigadores y que se articulan en torno a los 4 ejes del Plan Estratégico quinquenal. Se realizó estudio descriptivo y analítico según las variables de ajuste. Se calculó la consistencia interna del cuestionario. Resultados. La encuesta fue completada por 108 investigadores (15% de respuesta). El aspecto estratégico mejor valorado fue la estructuración en Áreas/Grupos de Investigación y la política de comunicación. La valoración global fue de 7,25 sobre 10. Las sugerencias de mejora giran en torno a la necesidad de ayudas para la contratación y las infraestructuras de investigación. El cuestionario ha resultado tener una alta consistencia interna (alfa de Cronbach de 0,9). Conclusiones. Hasta el momento las políticas de investigación en el entorno sanitario y biomédico no han sido suficientemente valoradas por los profesionales en nuestro ámbito. Sistematizar la evaluación de la satisfacción y las expectativas de los principales grupos de interés es un instrumento esencial de análisis, participación en la mejora continua y de avanzar hacia la excelencia de la investigación sanitaria (AU)

Objective. A Health Research Institute is a powerful strategic commitment to promote biomedical research in hospitals. To assess user satisfaction is an essential quality requirement. The aim of this study is to evaluate the professional satisfaction in a Health Research Institute, a hospital biomedical research centre par excellence. Methods. Observational study was conducted using a satisfaction questionnaire on Health Research Institute researchers. The explored dimensions were derived from the services offered by the Institute to researchers, and are structured around 4 axes of a five-year Strategic Plan. A descriptive and analytical study was performed depending on adjustment variables. Internal consistency was also calculated. Results. The questionnaire was completed by 108 researchers (15% response). The most valued strategic aspect was the structuring Areas and Research Groups and political communication and dissemination. The overall rating was 7.25 out of 10. Suggestions for improvement refer to the need for help in recruitment, and research infrastructures. High internal consistency was found in the questionnaire (Cronbach alpha of 0.9). Conclusions. So far research policies in health and biomedical environment have not been sufficiently evaluated by professionals in our field. Systematic evaluations of satisfaction and expectations of key stakeholders is an essential tool for analysis, participation in continuous improvement and advancing excellence in health research (AU)

Consecuencias de los errores en la traducción de cuestionarios: versión española del índice Downton / Consequences of errors in the translation of questionnaires: spanish version of Downton index

La aplicación de escalas para detectar el riesgo de caídas en pacientes hospitalizados se ha generalizado. Durante el desarrollo de una revisión sistemática se detectó una disparidad grave en 3 ítems de la versión española del índice Downton respecto a la versión original. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar el impacto de este error y comparar el riesgo estimado de caídas con cada versión, su validez y consistencia interna. Material y métodos. Se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo en pacientes agudos hospitalizados durante 2011 en el Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella. El riesgo de caídas de los pacientes se valoró mediante la versión española del índice Downton, y se recalculó conforme a los ítems de la versión original. Se calculó sensibilidad, especificidad y alfa de Cronbach. Resultados. La aplicación de la versión original de la escala redujo el número de pacientes clasificados como de «alto riesgo» de caer un 24,2%. Con la versión española de la escala, la posibilidad de ser clasificado como de «alto riesgo» de caer fue 3,3 veces mayor (OR: 3,3). Ambas versiones del índice Downton mostraron escasa precisión y validez diagnóstica. La sensibilidad de la escala original fue del 28% y la especificidad del 82%. Su consistencia interna fue baja (alfa de Cronbach: 0,51). Conclusiones. La escala Downton, dada su poca precisión y validez diagnóstica, baja consistencia interna y el error significativo observado en su traducción al español, no es el instrumento más adecuado para evaluar el riesgo de caídas en pacientes agudos hospitalizados (AU)

The application of screening tools to detect the risk of falls in hospitalized patients is in general use. During the development of a systematic review a serious disparity in three items of the Spanish version of the Downton index was detected, compared to the original version. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of this error and to compare the estimated risk of falls with each of these versions, its validity and internal consistency. Material and methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study in acute hospitalised patients was performed during 2011 in Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella. The patients’ risk of falling was assessed by the Spanish version of the Downton index, and then it was re-calculated according to the items in the original version. Sensitivity, specificity and Cronbach's alpha were calculated. Results. Application of the original version of the index reduced the number of patients classified as “high risk” of falling by 24.2%. With the Spanish version of the tool, the possibility of being classed as “high risk” of falling was considerably 3.3 times higher (OR: 3.3). Both versions of the Downton index showed low accuracy and diagnostic validity. The sensitivity of the original scale was 28% and specificity of 82%. Its internal consistency was low (Cronbach's alpha: .51). Conclusions. The Downton index, given its poor accuracy and diagnostic validity, low internal consistency, and the significant error observed in its Spanish translation, is not the most appropriate tool to assess the risk of falls in hospitalised acute patients (AU)

Información, comunicación y trato en un servicio de urgencias: evaluación mediante una encuesta de opinión / Opinion survey on information, communication and treatment in an Emergency Department

Objetivo. Conocer aspectos concretos acerca de la información y la comunicación con los usuarios de los servicios de urgencias hospitalarias y el trato recibido en ellos a través de una encuesta telefónica. Métodos. Estudio prospectivo en 2 servicios de urgencias hospitalarias de Salamanca. Se incluyeron en el estudio 400 pacientes (edad media 56,4 ± 20,5 años; 58,4% mujeres). Se realizó una encuesta telefónica con 19 ítems. Doce de ellos recogían las respuestas en escala tipo Likert, con puntuaciones de 1 (muy mal) a 5 (muy bien). El resto permitían responder «sí» o «no». Resultados. El 86% de los pacientes evaluaron positivamente el trato recibido por los profesionales en general, el 92% el respeto mostrado, el 87% el trato de los médicos y el 71% el trato recibido por enfermería. El 27,5% no recuerda haber recibido información del personal del punto azul (profesionales especialmente capacitados para dar información). Se encontró significación estadística (p = 0,045) en relación a la amabilidad y respeto mostrado por enfermería. La mayoría de los pacientes que fueron ingresados en el área de observación del servicio de urgencias no fueron informados sobre los horarios de visita (p = 0,003). Conclusiones. La percepción del trato recibido por los pacientes es buena, mientras que en relación a la información y comunicación es ostensiblemente mejorable y podría ser evaluada utilizando la encuesta que proponemos, ya que permite detectar y utilizar los puntos débiles de estos aspectos de la asistencia sanitaria como lanzaderas de las iniciativas de implementación (AU)

Objective. To gather specific details about the information, communication, and treatment as regards users of hospital emergency services using a telephone survey, in order to implement improvement measures, if necessary. Methods. A prospective study was conducted in two emergency departments in Salamanca. A total of 400 patients were included in the study (mean age 56.4 ± 20.5 years, 58.4% women). A telephone survey was performed with 19 items, of which 12 required responses on a Likert-type scale, with scores of 1 (very bad) to 5 (very good). The remainder of the questions allowed to answer 'yes' or 'no'. Results. The treatment received by the professionals in general was evaluated positively by 86% of the patients; with 92% reporting they were respectful, 87% were treated by doctors and 71% received treatment from nurses. More than one-quarter (27.5%) did not recall receiving information from blue point staff (personnel specially trained to provide information. Statistical significance (P = .045) was found in relation to the kindness and respect shown by nurses. Most patients that were admitted to the observation area of the emergency department were not informed about the visiting hours (P = .003). Conclusions. Perception of care received by patients is good, while in relation to information and communication it is evidently improvable, and could be assessed using the survey that is proposed in order to detect and use the weaknesses in these aspects of health care as implementation initiatives (AU)

Gestión y desarrollo del equipo de psicología de un servicio de salud mental / No disponible

Si bien parece obvio, por los estudios previos, y por propia intuición que los equipos motivados obtienen una excelencia en su eficacia laboral, existen pocos estudios que reporten resultados concretos sobre todo en el campo de la salud. Específicamente, en el campo de la salud mental, no existen apenas experiencias en cómo una gestión eficiente del equipo se traduce en una mejora de la satisfacción y eficacia de los profesionales. Este trabajo tiene dos objetivos principales, por una parte describir la metodología realizada en la dirección del equipo de trabajo, y por otra aportar algunos resultados sobre la eficiencia conseguida

While it seems obvious from previous studies, and intuition that motivated teams get an excellence in their work, there are few studies that reports specific results in health work. Specifically, in the area of mental health, there is hardly any experience in how efficient management team results in improved satisfaction and professional effectiveness. This paper has two main objectives, first describe the methodology employed in the direction of the team, and on the other provide some results on the efficiency achieved

[Guideline compliance in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure through family doctor-centred health care: results of an evaluation study]. / Leitliniengerechte Behandlung bei chronischer Herzinsuffizienz im Rahmen der Hausarztzentrierten Versorgung. Ergebnisse einer Evaluationsstudie.

PROBLEM: Family doctor centred health care (German abbreviation: HzV) agreements in Baden-Wuerttemberg provides that every year the strategies and results of at least two high-quality guidelines shall be discussed and worked on in quality circles. In this regard, the 'heart failure' guideline by the German Society of General Practice and Family Medicine (DEGAM) is especially important due to the high treatment costs and the continuously increasing prevalence of this medical condition. Another specified objective of the HzV agreements is to increase the DMP participation rate. The study addressed two questions: Is the medical care provided to patients with chronic heart failure who are being treated under HzV more compliant with guidelines than routine care? Does further improvement result from working on the guidelines in quality circles? METHODS: Routine data were provided by the AOK Baden-Wuerttemberg statutory health insurance company. Patients with heart failure receiving treatment under an HzV agreement (HzV group) were compared with patients receiving routine care (control group) with regard to quality of care eight months before and eight months after working on the guideline on heart failure in quality circles. Primary endpoints were the prescription of ACE inhibitors, AT1 antagonists and beta blockers in accordance with guidelines. Adjustment for various covariates was done by means of multivariate multilevel regression. RESULTS: Data were available for 3,667 practices [1,295 HzV practices; 2,158 non-HzV practices]. After applying validated diagnosis criteria, 16,584 patients were included in the intervention group and 28,992 in the control group. The HzV group received significantly better care in terms of the primary endpoint "prescription of ACE inhibitors or AT1 antagonists" (73.1 % vs. 69.3 % of the patients received ACE inhibitors or AT1 antagonists at T0 (OR 1.40; 95% CI [1,25; 1,57]; p < .001). 54.2 % vs. 52.3 % of the patients received beta blockers at T0 (not significant after adjustment, p = .260). No further improvement could be demonstrated to result from working on guidelines in quality circles. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The treatment of HzV patients with chronic heart failure is more compliant with guidelines than that of patients receiving routine care. Quality of care was already high at the beginning, and working on guidelines in quality circles had no noticeable effect. The increased DMP participation rate, which is one of the specified objectives of the HzV agreements, appears to have a mediation effect.

A management, leadership, and board road map to transforming care for patients.

Over the last decade I have studied 115 healthcare organizations in II countries, examining them from the boardroom to the patient bedside. In that time, I have observed one critical element missing from just about every facility: a set of standards that could reliably produce zero-defect care for patients. This lack of standards is largely rooted in the Sloan management approach, a top-down management and leadership structure that is void of standardized accountability. This article offers an alternative approach: management by process--an operating system that engages frontline staff in decisions and imposes standards and processes on the act of managing. Organizations that have adopted management by process have seen quality improve and costs decrease because the people closest to the work are expected to identify problems and solve them. Also detailed are the leadership behaviors required for an organization to successfully implement the management-by-process operating system and the board of trustees' role in supporting the transformation.

Using the Malcolm Baldrige "are we making progress" survey for organizational self-assessment and performance improvement.

A national healthcare company applied the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and its "Are We Making Progress?" survey as an annual organizational self-assessment to identify areas for improvement. For 6 years, Liberty Healthcare Corporation reviewed the survey results on an annual basis to analyze positive and negative trends, monitor company progress toward targeted goals and develop new initiatives to address emerging areas for improvement. As such, the survey provided a simple and inexpensive methodology to gain useful information from employees at all levels and from multiple service sites and business sectors. In particular, it provided a valuable framework for assessing and improving the employees' commitment to the company's mission and values, high standards and ethics, quality of work, and customer satisfaction. The methodology also helped the company to incorporate the philosophy and principles of continuous quality improvement in a unified fashion. Corporate and local leadership used the same measure to evaluate the performance of individual programs relative to each other, to the company as a whole, and to the "best practices" standard of highly successful companies that received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Modelo de gestão em bancos de olhos e seu impacto no resultado destas organizações / Management performance of eye banks and its impact on those organizations results

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a eficácia do modelo de gestão adotado pelo Banco de Olhos de Sorocaba (BOS) e Banco de Olhos da Santa Casa de Campo Grande (BOSC), segundo os critérios do Prêmio Nacional de Gestão em Saúde (PNGS) e demonstrar as características comuns e discordantes entre os dois Bancos de Olhos e um paralelo entre a efetividade do modelo de gestão adotado e o resultado destas organizações na doação de córneas. MÉTODOS: Foi aplicado o questionário "Como estamos progredindo?", disponibilizado pela Fundação Malcolm Baldrige, composto por 40 questões fechadas agrupadas nos sete critérios do PNGS (Liderança, Planejamento Estratégico, Foco no Cliente e no Mercado, Foco em Recursos Humanos, Critério Gestão de Informações, Gestão de Processos, e Resultados) em toda a força de trabalho das duas instituições (21 funcionários do BOS e 8 do BOSC). Os resultados foram analisados utilizando o Teste Exato de Fischer e Teste não-paramétrico U de Mann-Whitney para comparação das médias entre as duas instituições. RESULTADOS: Foram entrevistados 21 funcionários do BOS e 8 funcionários do BOSC). O teste de Mann-Whitney mostrou uma maior concordância às proposições do questionário pelos respondentes do BOS em 6 dos 7 itens estudados (Liderança, Planejamento Estratégico, Foco no Cliente e no Mercado, Foco em Recursos Humanos, Gestão de Processos, e Resultados). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa no Critério Gestão de Informações. A maior diferença entre as duas instituições foi encontrada no critério Gestão de Processos (p<0.001). CONCLUSÃO: O modelo de gestão presente no BOS apresenta aspectos distintos e estatisticamente significantes comparados ao BOSC, em 6 dos 7 critérios estudados pelo questionário aplicado. O BOS é o que mais se aproxima de conceitos internacionalmente aceitos de excelência em gestão baseados nos critérios do PNGS do que o BOSC, sendo um dos motivos prováveis do resultado positivo no número de doações de córnea.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the management of Sorocaba Eye Bank (BOS) and Santa Casa de Campo Grande Eye Bank (BOSC) with distinct results regarding number of donations using Prêmio Nacional Gestão em Saúde (PNGS) criteria for performance excellence. METHODS: All the personel of the two eye banks were submitted to an interview using the 'Are We Making Progress?' questionnaire from Malcolm Baldrige Quality Program. The questionnaire items were organized by the seven criteria categories, as the PNGS's (Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer and Market Focus, Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management, Human Resource Focus, Process Management, Bussiness Results). The findings were studied upon Fischers' exact test and Non parametric U test (Mann-Whitney) to compare the medium scores between the two Institutions. RESULTS: Twenty-one employees from BOS and 08 from BOSC were submitted to the questionnaire. The Mann-Whitney test showed a higher level of agreement to the questionnaire proposals from BOS than the ones from BOSC in 6 out from the 7 items studied (Leadership, Strategic Planning, Costumer and Market Focus, Human Resource Focus, Process Management, Bussiness Results). There wasn't any statisticaly significant difference related to the criteria Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management. The highest difference on the concordance level between the two organizations was related to Process Management (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The BOS management performance has distinct and statistically significant aspects compared to BOSC, shown on 6 out of 7 criteria studied by the questionnaire used. These data showed that the BOS performance management is closer to internationally accepted concepts of performance excellence, based on both PNGS Criteria and Malcolm Baldrige Quality Program, than BOSC.

[Does implementation of benchmarking in quality circles improve the quality of care of patients with asthma and reduce drug interaction?]. / Führt die Implementierung von offenem Benchmarking in datengestützten Qualitätszirkeln zur Verbesserung der hausärztlichen Versorgung bei Arzneimittelinteraktion und Asthma bronchiale?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this cluster-randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of quality circles (QCs) working either with general data-based feedback or with an open benchmark within the field of asthma care and drug-drug interactions. METHODS: Twelve QCs, involving 96 general practitioners from 85 practices, were randomised. Six QCs worked with traditional anonymous feedback and six with an open benchmark. Two QC meetings supported with feedback reports were held covering the topics "drug-drug interactions" and "asthma"; in both cases discussions were guided by a trained moderator. Outcome measures included health-related quality of life and patient satisfaction with treatment, asthma severity and number of potentially inappropriate drug combinations as well as the general practitioners' satisfaction in relation to the performance of the QC. RESULTS: A significant improvement in the treatment of asthma was observed in both trial arms. However, there was only a slight improvement regarding inappropriate drug combinations. There were no relevant differences between the group with open benchmark (B-QC) and traditional quality circles (T-QC). The physicians' satisfaction with the QC performance was significantly higher in the T-QCs. CONCLUSION: General practitioners seem to take a critical perspective about open benchmarking in quality circles. Caution should be used when implementing benchmarking in a quality circle as it did not improve healthcare when compared to the traditional procedure with anonymised comparisons.

[Quality circles in German ambulatory care: results of a continuous documentation in the regions of Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Westphalia-Lippe 1995-2007]. / Qualitätszirkel in der vertragsärztlichen Versorgung: Ergebnisse der kontinuierlichen Basisdokumentation in Bremen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein und Westfalen-Lippe 1995 bis 2007.

BACKGROUND: Quality circles (QC) are viewed as one of the most important tools of quality improvement and continuing education in ambulatory care. Yet, little is known about the quality of QC work. METHODS: From 1995 to 2007, an external assessment of QC work took place at four regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) Physicians. After each meeting, QC leaders completed questionnaires. This basic documentation focused on important features of QC work--continuity, topics, methods, results and satisfaction. RESULTS: 28,800 meetings in 1,640 quality circles were documented, and 27,255 documents from 1,241 groups analysed. Continuity was high over long periods, and medical topics were dealt with in more than 80% of the time. The use of appropriate methods, however, have room for improvement. Participants were very satisfied. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time the quality of QC structures, processes and results was assessed in Germany using a broad dataset. The working principles of QC appear to be well-established. Using the basic documentation practical recommendations are made to improve the quality of QC.

[Participation, knowledge production, and evaluative research: participation by different actors in a mental health study]. / Participação, produção de conhecimento e pesquisa avaliativa: a inserção de diferentes atores em uma investigação em saúde mental.

This article reflects on the interrelations between participation, knowledge production, and public policy evaluation in light of issues from our own experience with evaluative research on a municipal network of Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) in Brazil. The article discusses the coordination of the complex process and the potentials and limits of partnerships for conducting qualitative evaluative studies in mental health with participation by different social actors. The authors conclude that qualitative evaluative research aligned with the perspective of including different points of view representing various segments is the best approach for understanding the numerous spin-offs from the implementation of services linked to the Brazilian psychiatric reform movement, given the inherent specificities of the mental health field.

Improvement of a national public health surveillance system through use of a quality circle.

Surveillance systems for infectious diseases build the basis for effective public health measures in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Assessing and improving the quality of such national surveillance systems is a challenge, as many different administrations and professions contribute to a complex system in which sensitive information must be exchanged in a reliable and timely fashion. We conducted a multidisciplinary quality circle on the national public health surveillance system in Germany which included clinicians, laboratory physicians, and staff from local and state health departments as well as from the Robert Koch-Institut. The recommendations resulting from the quality circle included proposals to change the federal law for the control of infectious diseases as well as practical activities such as the change of notification forms and the mailing of faxed information letters to clinicians. A number of recommendations have since been implemented, and some have resulted in measurable improvements. This demonstrates that the applied method of quality circle is a useful tool to improve the quality of national public health surveillance systems.