CareTrack Kids-part 1. Assessing the appropriateness of healthcare delivered to Australian children: study protocol for clinical indicator development

Louise K Wiles; Tamara D Hooper; Peter D Hibbert; Les White; Nicole Mealing; Adam Jaffe; Christopher T Cowell; Mark F Harris; William B Runciman; Stan Goldstein; Andrew R Hallahan; John G Wakefield; Elisabeth Murphy; Annie Lau; Gavin Wheaton; Helena M Williams; Clifford Hughes; Jeffrey Braithwaite

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007748

CareTrack Kids-part 1. Assessing the appropriateness of healthcare delivered to Australian children: study protocol for clinical indicator development

BMJ Open. 2015 Apr 8;5(4):e007748. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007748.

Authors

Louise K Wiles¹, Tamara D Hooper¹, Peter D Hibbert², Les White³, Nicole Mealing², Adam Jaffe⁴, Christopher T Cowell⁵, Mark F Harris⁶, William B Runciman⁷, Stan Goldstein⁸, Andrew R Hallahan⁹, John G Wakefield⁹, Elisabeth Murphy¹⁰, Annie Lau², Gavin Wheaton¹¹, Helena M Williams¹², Clifford Hughes¹³, Jeffrey Braithwaite²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Sleep Research, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia New South Wales Health, NSW Kids and Families, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
⁵ Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁷ Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Sleep Research, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Australian Patient Safety Foundation, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁸ BUPA Health Foundation Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁹ Patient Safety and Quality Unit, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁰ New South Wales Health, NSW Kids and Families, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹¹ Division of Paediatric Medicine, Women's and Children's Health Network, South Australia, Australia.
¹² Russell Clinic, Blackwood, South Australia, Australia.
¹³ Clinical Excellence Commission, Sydney South, New South Wales, Australia.

Abstract

Introduction: Despite the widespread availability of clinical guidelines, considerable gaps remain between the care that is recommended (appropriate care) and the care provided. This protocol describes a research methodology to develop clinical indicators for appropriate care for common paediatric conditions.

Methods and analysis: We will identify conditions amenable to population-level appropriateness of care research and develop clinical indicators for each condition. Candidate conditions have been identified from published research; burden of disease, prevalence and frequency of presentation data; and quality of care priority lists. Clinical indicators will be developed through searches of national and international guidelines, and formatted with explicit criteria for inclusion, exclusion, time frame and setting. Experts will review the indicators using a wiki-based approach and modified Delphi process. A formative evaluation of the wiki process will be undertaken.

Ethics and dissemination: Human Research Ethics Committee approvals have been received from Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, and the Women's and Children's Health Network (South Australia). Applications are under review with Macquarie University and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. We will submit the results of the study to relevant journals and offer national and international presentations.

Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Australia
Child
Child Health Services / standards*
Child, Preschool
Clinical Protocols
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Pediatrics / standards*
Quality Assurance, Health Care / methods*
Quality Indicators, Health Care*