The tools will include:
- Guidelines for identifying barriers to quality improvement
- Guidelines for tailoring quality improvement interventions to specific barriers
- A sharenet for research-based quality improvement
- Prospective registration of quality improvement RCTs
- A system for peer review of protocols for quality improvement RCTs
- An interactive, Internet-based tool to support the design of quality improvement RCTs
- A sample size calculator A database of intra-cluster correlation coefficients
- Algorithms to help ensure the appropriate analysis of the results of quality improvement RCTs
- Guidelines for developing and maintaining research-based quality improvement programs
- Monitoring and evaluation of the use of these tools
Principle activities
This work involves a combination of identifying and evaluating existing materials, and developing new resources where necessary. For example, sample size calculators for cluster-randomised trials are already available in the public domain. Rather than develop a new calculator, we will evaluate ones that are already available, make necessary improvements and support access and use. Some of the tools listed above will be developed in other parts of the ReBEQI project, for example the barrier identification tools and the sharenet.
In addition to the above list, will develop guidelines for efficient data collection; for dealing with potential effect modifiers, such as motivation to change; for designing quality improvement RCTs; for appropriately analysing quality improvement RCTs; for reporting the results of quality improvement RCTs; for developing and maintaining research-based quality improvement programs. We will use a nominal group technique to reach agreement on appropriate recommendations, based on the available evidence. The aim of these tools will be to inform choices on how best to design quality improvement RCTs that will evaluate specific interventions tailored to address specific clinical problems in specific settings.
A database of intra-cluster correlation coefficients (ICCs) will be developed and made available under ‘Tools and databases’ to aid sample size calculations. This database will initially be populated with ICCs derived from the ReBEQI partners’ research projects and subsequently expanded to include other ICCs from published studies and contributed by other researchers.
Expected results
We will develop a suite of tools that will be flexible, dynamic and freely available. These tools will initially be in English, French and Italian. Our guidelines will be published, as well as being made available through the ReBEQI website.
Timeframe
This work started on 1st May 2003 and will be complete 30th November 2005.