Combination of National Quality Assurance Data Collection With a Standard Operating Procedure in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Win-Win Strategy?
The primary contact for German physicians with national quality assurance in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is frequently experienced as time-consuming obligatory documentation. Since the regular feedback loop stretches up to 18 months, the immediate impact on quality is perceived as rather low. Ultimately, a method leading to increase in the quality of data collection, clarification on expected clinical treatment standards, and improvement in the acceptance and feedback mechanism is needed. We developed a form merging data collection for quality indicators with a standard operating procedure (SOP) in CAP and implemented it in the daily routine of a university's department for internal medicine. Fulfillment of quality indicators before and after the implementation of the new form was measured. Critical parameters such as the documentation of breathing rate and clinical parameters at discharge strongly improved after implementation of the intervention. Uncritical parameters showed slight improvement or stable results at a high level. The combination of collection of quality data with a clinical SOP and context information may improve the impact of quality measures by increasing acceptance, quality of data capture, short-loop feedback, and possibly quality of care.