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HELSEVEL-Gode og effektive helse-, omsorgs- og velferdstjenester

RAK-antibiotika - Development and implementation of a quality improvement system for general practitioners in municipality health services

Alternative title: RAK-antibiotika – Utvikling og implementering av kvalitetsforbedring system for fastleger i kommunalhelsetjenester

Awarded: NOK 6.9 mill.

Continuous clinical quality improvement is one of the key elements for both maintenance and improvement of secure and efficient healthcare services. However, in the municipal health service, where most of the diagnostic, treatment and care services are carried out, quality improvement work is sparse. One of the area where clinical quality improvement work is highly relevant is prescriptions for infectious diseases and antibiotics. Unecessary antibiotics use may in short term give adverse effects such as rashes, abdominal symptoms and allergic reactions, while, in the long term it can result in increase of antimicrobial resistance in population and number of deaths due to resistant microbes. Since about 85% of all antibiotics for people in Norway are prescribed through the primary health care, it is of high importance to establish good and well-functioning clinical quality improvement work routines in the primary health care practice. The primary objective of the project is to develop a clinical quality improvement system for general practitioners in municipality health services with focus on optimizing prescriptions for infectious diseases and antibiotic use. The system will also include a technical system for delivering quality reports generated based on data from The Norwegian Prescription Database and other relevant data sources, and an educational context in which to put the quality improvement activity. In addition, the project activities will include work on tailoring the different parts of the quality improvement system in order to reach a majority of general practitioners, and activities to tailor and adjust the implementation of the quality improvement system in order to make it sustainable in years after the project end. The project is in the planning phase. We are also working on development of the content of the quality improvement system.

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Continuous clinical quality improvement is necessary to maintain and develop secure and efficient healthcare services. However, in the municipal health service, where most of the diagnostic, treatment and care services are carried out, quality improvement work is sparse. The lack of easy and effective access to clinical data in Norwegian general practice is a known problem, that creates an major obstacle to the professional development and delivery of care. Prescriptions for infectious diseases and antibiotic use are examples of areas that would benefit significantly from a clinical quality improvement system. The primary objective of this project is to develop a quality improvement system for general practitioners in municipality health services, that includes a technical system for delivering quality reports generated based on data from The Norwegian Prescription Database and other relevant data sources, and an educational context in which to put the quality improvement activity. Secondary objectives are to 1) tailor the different parts of the quality improvement system in order to reach a majority of GPs, and 2) tailor the implementation of the quality improvement system in order to make it sustainable in years after the project end.

Funding scheme:

HELSEVEL-Gode og effektive helse-, omsorgs- og velferdstjenester