Improving the quality and safety of patient care

"This brochure outlines some of the initiatives the UK is currently pursuing, and the organisations which are leading the way in standards of safety. The different sections also provide information on the partners who can best help you achieve your goal of safer, better healthcare."

Improving the quality and safety of patient care
Department of Health
March 2016

Read more here.

Monitoring patient safety in primary care

"This study’s findings demonstrate that patient safety and patient safety events, such as serious incidents, appear ill-defined in primary care, and therefore it is unclear on the ground what is to be monitored."

Monitoring patient safety in primary care: an exploratory study using in-depth semistructured interviews
R Samra, A Bottle, P Aylin
BMJ Open, 2015, 5:e008128

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Geographic variation in unplanned hospital admission rates and length of stay for ambulatory care sensitive conditions

"Policymakers targeting a reduction in unplanned admissions could introduce initiatives to improve primary care access and quality or develop alternatives to admission."

A systematic review of the magnitude and cause of geographic variation in unplanned hospital admission rates and length of stay for ambulatory care sensitive conditions
J Busby, S Purdy, W Hollingworth
BMC Health Services Research, 2015, 15:324

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Applying a national quality registry for quality improvement in stroke care

"While quality registries are assumed to support adherence to evidence-based guidelines around the world, this study proposes that a NQR can facilitate improvement of care but neither the registry itself nor the reporting of data initiates quality improvement."

Facilitators and barriers to applying a national quality registry for quality improvement in stroke care
AC Eldh, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2014, 14:354

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Guidelines: is bigger better? A review of SIGN guidelines

"Practice guidelines should be brief and based on scientific evidence."

Guidelines: is bigger better? A review of SIGN guidelines
AG Baird, JR Lawrence
BMJ Open, 2014, 4:e004278

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Quality of newborn care: adherence to guidelines for parenteral nutrition in preterm infants in four European countries

"The initiation of PN is frequently not compliant with current recommendations, with the main differences being observed during the first days of life."

Quality of newborn care: adherence to guidelines for parenteral nutrition in preterm infants in four European countries
A Lapillonne, VP Carnielli, ND Embleton, W Mihatsch
BMJ Open, 2013, 3:e003478

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Time to act: severe sepsis: rapid diagnosis and treatment saves lives

"Better care could lead to savings in 8 Time to act - Severe sepsis: rapid diagnosis and treatment saves lives terms of reduced length of hospital stay and less intensive care and renal dialysis."

Time to act: severe sepsis: rapid diagnosis and treatment saves lives
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
September 2013

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Support for commissioning for self-harm

"This resource supports commissioners to drive up quality, and ensure that self‑harm is being adequately addressed, in a range of generic services that are commonly used by people who self‑harm."

CMG50: NICE support for commissioning for self-harm
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
June 2013

Read the full document and supporting material, including the commissioning and budgeting tool, here.

Falls prevention in older people

"This guideline updates and replaces 'Falls' (NICE clinical guideline 21)."

Falls: assessment and prevention of falls in older people
NICE Clinical Guideline 161
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
June 2013

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Implementation of nice guidance on venous thromboembolism risk assessment and prophylaxis

"Our results show an improvement in the percentage of patients who are risk assessed for VTE across all hospitals."

The implementation of nice guidance on venous thromboembolism risk assessment and prophylaxis: a before-after observational study to assess the impact on patient safety across four hospitals in England
AG Bateman, R Sheaff, S Child, O Boiko, OC Ukoumunne, T Nokes, A Copplestone, CA Gericke
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:203

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Evaluation of the theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme

"The QUIP programme has the potential to change physical therapy practice but needs considerable revision to induce the ongoing quality improvement process that is required to optimize overall guideline adherence."

Evaluation of the theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme: a one-group, pre-test post-test pilot study
GM Rutten, J Harting, LK Bartholomew, A Schlief, RAB Oostendorp, NK de Vries
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:194

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Developing a specification for lifestyle weight management services

"The guidance has been developed by the Department of Health, working closely with public health commissioners, weight management providers, and includes input from academics with expertise in weight management."

Developing a specification for lifestyle weight management services: best practice guidance for tier 2 services
Obesity and Food Policy Branch, Department of Health
March 2013

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Proton pump inhibitors: potential cost reductions by applying prescribing guidelines

"There are opportunities for substantial cost savings in relation to proton pump inhibitors prescribing if implementation of clinical guidelines in terms of generic substitution and step-down therapy is implemented on a national basis."

Proton pump inhibitors: potential cost reductions by applying prescribing guidelines
C Cahir, T Fahey, L Tilson, C Teljeur, K Bennett
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:408

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Reporting guidelines for systematic reviews with a focus on health equity

"Increased use of these reporting guidelines will help improve the reporting of effects on both inequities in health outcomes and health care use across gender, socioeconomic position, and other characteristics, both in systematic reviews and eventually primary research, thus contributing to the global agenda to improve health equity."

PRISMA-Equity 2012 Extension: reporting guidelines for systematic reviews with a focus on health equity
V Welch, M Petticrew, P Tugwell, D Moher, J O'Neill, E Waters, H White,
PLOS Med, 2012, 9(10): e1001333

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NICE Pathways: guidance at your fingertips

"NICE Pathways is an online tool provides quick and easy access, topic by topic, to the range of guidance from NICE, including quality standards, technology appraisals, clinical and public health guidance and NICE implementation tools."

Access the pathways here.

Assessing how much confidence to place in the research evidence

In the third paper in a three-part series on health systems guidance, Simon Lewin and colleagues explore the importance of assessing how much confidence to place in different types of research evidence with regards to informing judgements regarding policy options to address health systems problems.

Guidance for evidence-informed policies about health systems: Assessing how much confidence to place in the research evidence
S Lewin, et al.
PLoS Medicine, 9(3):e1001187

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Rationale for and challenges of guidance development

"This is one paper in a three-part series that sets out how evidence should be translated into guidance to inform policies on health systems and improve the delivery of clinical and public health interventions."

Guidance for evidence-informed policies about health systems: rationale for and challenges of guidance development
X Bosch-Capblanch, et al.
PLoS Medicine, 2012, 9(3):e1001185

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Linking guidance development to policy development

"In the second paper in a three-part series on health systems guidance, John Lavis and colleagues explore the challenge of linking guidance development and policy development at global and national levels."

Guidance for evidence-informed policies about health systems: linking guidance development to policy development
JN Lavis, et al.
PLoS Medicine, 2012, 9(3):e1001186

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Practice facilitation within primary care settings

"Practice facilitation has a moderately robust effect on evidence based guideline adoption within primary care."

Systematic review and meta-analysis of practice facilitation within primary care settings
NB Baskerville, C Liddy, W Hogg
Annals of Family Medicine, 2012, 10(1):63-74

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Delivering stepped care: an analysis of implementation in routine practice

"The application of core principles of implementation science (such as targeted planning, implementation strategies and clear activity specification) around service organisation is urgently required."

Delivering stepped care: an analysis of implementation in routine practice
DA Richards, P Bower, C Pagel, A Weaver, M Utley, J Cape, S Pilling, K Lovell, S Gilbody, J Leibowitz, L
Owens, R Paxton, S Hennessy, A Simpson, S Gallivan, D Tomson, C Vasilakis
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:3

Read more here.