Editorial: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)—Advancing Understanding of Design, Application, Impact, and Evaluation of CQI Approaches

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) approaches are increasingly used to bridge gaps between the evidence base for best practice, what actually happens in practice, and achievement of better population health outcomes. Among a range of quality improvement strategies, CQI is characterized by iterative use of processes to identify quality problems, develop solutions, and implement and evaluate changes. Application of CQI in health care is evolving and evidence of their success continues to emerge (1–3).

[1]  J. Kaldor,et al.  Wide variation in sexually transmitted infection testing and counselling at Aboriginal primary health care centres in Australia: analysis of longitudinal continuous quality improvement data , 2017, BMC Infectious Diseases.

[2]  R. Bailie,et al.  A developmental evaluation to enhance stakeholder engagement in a wide-scale interactive project disseminating quality improvement data: study protocol for a mixed-methods study , 2017, BMJ Open.

[3]  P. Leffers,et al.  An Overview of Systematic Reviews , 2009 .

[4]  R. Bailie,et al.  Development and trialling of a tool to support a systems approach to improve social determinants of health in rural and remote Australian communities: the healthy community assessment tool , 2013, International Journal for Equity in Health.

[5]  D. Monk,et al.  A Comparative Case Study , 2005 .

[6]  R. Bailie,et al.  Improving preventive health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care settings , 2017, Globalization and Health.

[7]  H. Teede,et al.  Continuous quality improvement and metabolic screening during pregnancy at primary health centres attended by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women , 2015, The Medical journal of Australia.

[8]  A. Shakeshaft,et al.  Psycho-social resilience, vulnerability and suicide prevention: impact evaluation of a mentoring approach to modify suicide risk for remote Indigenous Australian students at boarding school , 2015, BMC Public Health.

[9]  K. Edmond,et al.  Sustained participation in annual continuous quality improvement activities improves quality of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children , 2018, Journal of paediatrics and child health.

[10]  M. Delgado-Rodríguez,et al.  Systematic review and meta-analysis. , 2017, Medicina intensiva.

[11]  C. van den Boogaard,et al.  Development of the good food planning tool: A food system approach to food security in indigenous Australian remote communities. , 2015, Health & place.

[12]  Andy Haines,et al.  Supporting the delivery of cost-effective interventions in primary health-care systems in low-income and middle-income countries: an overview of systematic reviews , 2008, The Lancet.

[13]  T. Weeramanthri,et al.  Impact of policy support on uptake of evidence-based continuous quality improvement activities and the quality of care for Indigenous Australians: a comparative case study , 2017, BMJ Open.

[14]  L. Crossland,et al.  Development and pilot study of the Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC‐PIT): an innovative approach , 2014, The Medical journal of Australia.

[15]  T. Bodenheimer,et al.  The 10 Building Blocks of High-Performing Primary Care , 2014, The Annals of Family Medicine.

[16]  R. Bailie,et al.  Duration of participation in continuous quality improvement: a key factor explaining improved delivery of Type 2 diabetes services , 2014, BMC Health Services Research.

[17]  A. Ralph,et al.  Improvement in rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease management and prevention using a health centre-based continuous quality improvement approach , 2013, BMC Health Services Research.

[18]  David Moher,et al.  Effectiveness of quality improvement strategies on the management of diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis , 2012, The Lancet.

[19]  J. Semmens,et al.  Study protocolStudy protocol : national research partnership to improve primary health care performance and outcomes for Indigenous peoples , 2016 .

[20]  R. Bailie,et al.  A systems-based partnership learning model for strengthening primary healthcare , 2013, Implementation Science.

[21]  R. Bailie,et al.  Improvement in delivery of type 2 diabetes services differs by mode of care: a retrospective longitudinal analysis in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care setting , 2016, BMC Health Services Research.

[22]  R. Bailie,et al.  A Continuous Quality Improvement Approach to Indigenous Housing and Health , 2006 .