Racial and Ethnic Differences in Length of Stay for US Children Hospitalized for Acute Osteomyelitis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between race and ethnicity and length of stay (LOS) for US children with acute osteomyelitis. STUDY DESIGN: Using the Kids' Inpatient Database, we conducted a cross-sectional study of children <21 years old hospitalized in 2016 or 2019 with acute osteomyelitis. Using survey-weighted negative binomial regression, we modeled LOS by race and ethnicity, adjusting for clinical and hospital characteristics and socioeconomic status. Secondary outcomes included prolonged LOS, defined as LOS of >7 days (equivalent to LOS in the highest quartile). RESULTS: We identified 2388 children discharged with acute osteomyelitis. The median LOS was 5 days (IQR, 3-7). Compared with White children, children of Black race (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.27), Hispanic ethnicity (aIRR 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02-1.21), and other race and ethnicity (aIRR 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.23) had a significantly longer LOS. The odds of Black children experiencing prolonged LOS was 46% higher compared with White children (aOR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.01-2.11). CONCLUSIONS: Children of Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and other race and ethnicity with acute osteomyelitis experienced longer LOS than White children. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying these race- and ethnicity-based differences, including social drivers such as access to care, structural racism, and bias in provision of inpatient care, may improve management and outcomes for children with acute osteomyelitis.

Multicenter Analysis of Attrition from the Pediatric Tuberculosis Infection Care Cascade in Boston.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize losses from the pediatric tuberculosis (TB) infection care cascade to identify ways to improve TB infection care delivery. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children (age <18 years) screened for TB within 2 Boston-area health systems between January 2017 and May 2019. Patients who received a tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or an interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) were included. RESULTS: We included 13 353 tests among 11 622 patients; 93.9% of the tests were completed. Of 199 patients with positive tests for whom TB infection evaluation was clinically appropriate, 59.3% completed treatment or were recommended to not start treatment. Age 12-17 years (vs < 5 years; aOR 1.59; 95% CI, 1.32-1.92), non-English/non-Spanish language preference (vs English; aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.02-1.76), and receipt of an IGRA (vs TST, aOR, 30.82; 95% CI, 21.92-43.34) were associated with increased odds of testing completion. Odds of testing completion decreased as census tract social vulnerability index quartile increased (ie, social vulnerability worsened; most vulnerable quartile vs least vulnerable quartile, aOR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60-0.99). Odds of completing treatment after starting treatment were higher in females (vs males; aOR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.14-4.85) and were lower in patients starting treatment in a primary care clinic (vs TB/infectious diseases clinic; aOR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.27-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Among children with a high proportion of negative TB infection tests, completion of testing was high, but completion of evaluation and treatment was moderate. Transitions toward IGRA testing will improve testing completion; interventions addressing social determinants of health are important to improve treatment completion.

The CONFIDENT study protocol: a randomized controlled trial comparing two methods to increase long-term care worker confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.

BACKGROUND: Clinical and real-world effectiveness data for the COVID-19 vaccines have shown that they are the best defense in preventing severe illness and death throughout the pandemic. However, in the US, some groups remain more hesitant than others about receiving COVID-19 vaccines. One important group is long-term care workers (LTCWs), especially because they risk infecting the vulnerable and clinically complex populations they serve. There is a lack of research about how best to increase vaccine confidence, especially in frontline LTCWs and healthcare staff. Our aims are to: (1) compare the impact of two interventions delivered online to enhanced usual practice on LTCW COVID-19 vaccine confidence and other pre-specified secondary outcomes, (2) determine if LTCWs' characteristics and other factors mediate and moderate the interventions' effect on study outcomes, and (3) explore the implementation characteristics, contexts, and processes needed to sustain a wider use of the interventions. METHODS: We will conduct a three-arm randomized controlled effectiveness-implementation hybrid (type 2) trial, with randomization at the participant level. Arm 1 is a dialogue-based webinar intervention facilitated by a LTCW and a medical expert and guided by an evidence-based COVID-19 vaccine decision tool. Arm 2 is a curated social media web application intervention featuring interactive, dynamic content about COVID-19 and relevant vaccines. Arm 3 is enhanced usual practice, which directs participants to online public health information about COVID-19 vaccines. Participants will be recruited via online posts and advertisements, email invitations, and in-person visits to care settings. Trial data will be collected at four time points using online surveys. The primary outcome is COVID-19 vaccine confidence. Secondary outcomes include vaccine uptake, vaccine and booster intent for those unvaccinated, likelihood of recommending vaccination (both initial series and booster), feeling informed about the vaccines, identification of vaccine information and misinformation, and trust in COVID-19 vaccine information provided by different people and organizations. Exploration of intervention implementation will involve interviews with study participants and other stakeholders, an in-depth process evaluation, and testing during a subsequent sustainability phase. DISCUSSION: Study findings will contribute new knowledge about how to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and effective informational modalities for LTCWs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05168800 at ClinicalTrials.gov, registered December 23, 2021.

Salzburg Global Seminar Session 565-'Better Health Care: how do we learn about improvement?'

A fundamental question for the field of healthcare improvement is the extent to which the results achieved can be attributed to the changes that were implemented and whether or not these changes are generalizable. Answering these questions is particularly challenging because the healthcare context is complex, and the interventions themselves tend to be complex and multi-dimensional. The Salzburg Global Seminar Session 565-'Better Health Care: How do we learn about improvement?' was convened to address questions of attribution, generalizability and rigor, and to think through how to approach these concerns in the field of quality improvement. The Salzburg Global Seminar Session 565 brought together 61 leaders in improvement from 22 countries, including researchers, evaluators and improvers. The primary conclusion that resulted from the session was the need for evaluation to be embedded as an integral part of the improvement. We have invited participants of the seminar to contribute to writing this supplement, which consists of eight articles reflecting insights and learning from the Salzburg Global Seminar. This editorial serves as an introduction to the supplement. The supplement explains results and insights from Salzburg Global Seminar Session 565.

Practical recommendations for the evaluation of improvement initiatives.

A lack of clear guidance for funders, evaluators and improvers on what to include in evaluation proposals can lead to evaluation designs that do not answer the questions stakeholders want to know. These evaluation designs may not match the iterative nature of improvement and may be imposed onto an initiative in a way that is impractical from the perspective of improvers and the communities with whom they work. Consequently, the results of evaluations are often controversial, and attribution remains poorly understood. Improvement initiatives are iterative, adaptive and context-specific. Evaluation approaches and designs must align with these features, specifically in their ability to consider complexity, to evolve as the initiative adapts over time and to understand the interaction with local context. Improvement initiatives often identify broadly defined change concepts and provide tools for care teams to tailor these in more detail to local conditions. Correspondingly, recommendations for evaluation are best provided as broad guidance, to be tailored to the specifics of the initiative. In this paper, we provide practical guidance and recommendations that funders and evaluators can use when developing an evaluation plan for improvement initiatives that seeks to: identify the questions stakeholders want to address; develop the initial program theory of the initiative; identify high-priority areas to measure progress over time; describe the context the initiative will be applied within; and identify experimental or observational designs that will address attribution.

A framework for learning about improvement: embedded implementation and evaluation design to optimize learning.

Improving health care involves many actors, often working in complex adaptive systems. Interventions tend to be multi-factorial, implementation activities diverse, and contexts dynamic and complicated. This makes improvement initiatives challenging to describe and evaluate as matching evaluation and program designs can be difficult, requiring collaboration, trust and transparency. Collaboration is required to address important epidemiological principles of bias and confounding. If this does not take place, results may lack credibility because the association between interventions implemented and outcomes achieved is obscure and attribution uncertain. Moreover, lack of clarity about what was implemented, how it was implemented, and the context in which it was implemented often lead to disappointment or outright failure of spread and scale-up efforts. The input of skilled evaluators into the design and conduct of improvement initiatives can be helpful in mitigating these potential problems. While evaluation must be rigorous, if it is too rigid necessary adaptation and learning may be compromised. This article provides a framework and guidance on how improvers and evaluators can work together to design, implement and learn about improvement interventions more effectively.

Highly Adoptable Improvement: A Practical Model and Toolkit to Address Adoptability and Sustainability of Quality Improvement Initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Failure to consider the impact of change on health care providers is a barrier to success. Initiatives that increase workload and have low perceived value are less likely to be adopted. A practical model and supporting tools were developed on the basis of existing theories to help quality improvement (QI) programs design more adoptable approaches. METHODS: Models and theories from the diffusion of innovation and work stress literature were reviewed, and key-informant interviews and site visits were conducted to develop a draft Highly Adoptable Improvement (HAI) Model. A list of candidate factors considered for inclusion in the draft model was presented to an expert panel. A modified Delphi process was used to narrow the list of factors into main themes and refine the model. The resulting model and supporting tools were pilot tested by 16 improvement advisors for face validity and usability. RESULTS: The HAI Model depicts how workload and perceived value influence adoptability of QI initiatives. The supporting tools include an assessment guide and suggested actions that QI programs can use to help design interventions that are likely to be adopted. Improvement advisors reported good face validity and usability and found that the model and the supporting tools helped address key issues related to adoption and reported that they would continue to use them. CONCLUSION: The HAI Model addresses important issues regarding workload and perceived value of improvement initiatives. Pilot testing suggests that the model and supporting tools are helpful and practical in guiding design and implementation of adoptable and sustainable QI interventions.

Randomized Trial of Reducing Ambulatory Malpractice and Safety Risk: Results of the Massachusetts PROMISES Project.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate application of quality improvement approaches to key ambulatory malpractice risk and safety areas. STUDY SETTING: In total, 25 small-to-medium-sized primary care practices (16 intervention; 9 control) in Massachusetts. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled trial of a 15-month intervention including exposure to a learning network, webinars, face-to-face meetings, and coaching by improvement advisors targeting "3+1" high-risk domains: test result, referral, and medication management plus culture/communication issues evaluated by survey and chart review tools. DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Chart reviews conducted at baseline and postintervention for intervention sites. Staff and patient survey data collected at baseline and postintervention for intervention and control sites. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Chart reviews demonstrated significant improvements in documentation of abnormal results, patient notification, documentation of an action or treatment plan, and evidence of a completed plan (all P<0.001). Mean days between laboratory test date and evidence of completed action/treatment plan decreased by 19.4 days (P<0.001). Staff surveys showed modest but nonsignificant improvement for intervention practices relative to controls overall and for the 3 high-risk domains that were the focus of PROMISES. CONCLUSIONS: A consortium of stakeholders, quality improvement tools, coaches, and learning network decreased selected ambulatory safety risks often seen in malpractice claims.

Evaluating ambulatory practice safety: the PROMISES project administrators and practice staff surveys.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory practices deliver most health care services and contribute to malpractice risk. Yet, policymakers and practitioners often lack information about safety and malpractice risk needed to guide improvement. OBJECTIVE: To assess staff and administrator perceptions of safety and malpractice risk in ambulatory settings. RESEARCH DESIGN: We administered surveys in small-sized to medium-sized primary care practices in Massachusetts as part of a randomized controlled trial to reduce ambulatory malpractice risk. SUBJECTS: Twenty-five office practice managers/administrators and 482 staff, including [physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners (MD/PA/NPs)], nurses, other clinicians, managers, and administrators. MEASURES: Surveys included structured questions about 3 high-risk clinical domains: referral, test result, and medication management, plus communication with patients and among staff. The 30-item administrator survey evaluated the presence of organizational safety structures and processes; the 63-item staff survey queried safety and communication concerns. RESULTS: Twenty-two administrators (88%) and 292 staff (61%) responded. Administrators frequently reported important safety systems and processes were absent. Suboptimal or incomplete implementation of referral and test result management systems related to staff perceptions of their quality (P<0.05). Staff perceptions of suboptimal processes correlated with their concern about practice vulnerability to malpractice suits (P<0.05). Staff was least positive about referral management system safety, talking openly about safety problems, willingness to report mistakes, and feeling rushed. MD/PA/NPs viewed high-risk system reliability more negatively (P<0.0001) and teamwork more positively (P<0.03) than others. CONCLUSIONS: Results show opportunities for improvement in closing informational loops and establishing more reliable systems and environments where staff feels respected and safe speaking up. Initiatives to transform primary care should emphasize improving communication among facilities and practitioners.

Teamwork methods for accountable care: relational coordination and TeamSTEPPS®.

BACKGROUND: To deliver greater value in the accountable care context, the Institute of Medicine argues for a culture of teamwork at multiple levels--across professional and organizational siloes and with patients and their families and communities. The logic of performance improvement is that data are needed to target interventions and to assess their impact. We argue that efforts to build teamwork will benefit from teamwork measures that provide diagnostic information regarding the current state and teamwork interventions that can respond to the opportunities identified in the current state. PURPOSE: We identify teamwork measures and teamwork interventions that are validated and that can work across multiple levels of teamwork. We propose specific ways to combine them for optimal effectiveness. APPROACH: We review measures of teamwork documented by Valentine, Nembhard, and Edmondson and select those that they identified as satisfying the four criteria for psychometric validation and as being unbounded and therefore able to measure teamwork across multiple levels. We then consider teamwork interventions that are widely used in the U.S. health care context, are well validated based on their association with outcomes, and are capable of working at multiple levels of teamwork. We select the top candidate in each category and propose ways to combine them for optimal effectiveness. FINDINGS: We find relational coordination is a validated multilevel teamwork measure and TeamSTEPPS® is a validated multilevel teamwork intervention and propose specific ways for the relational coordination measure to enhance the TeamSTEPPS intervention. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Health care systems and change agents seeking to respond to the challenges of accountable care can use TeamSTEPPS as a validated multilevel teamwork intervention methodology, enhanced by relational coordination as a validated multilevel teamwork measure with diagnostic capacity to pinpoint opportunities for improving teamwork along specific dimensions (e.g., shared knowledge, timely communication) and in specific role relationships (e.g., nurse/medical assistant, emergency unit/medical unit, primary care/specialty care).

Pediatric Tuberculosis Infection Care Facilitators and Barriers: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: A total of 700 000 US children and adolescents are estimated to have latent tuberculosis (TB) infection. Identifying facilitators and barriers to engaging in TB infection care is critical to preventing pediatric TB disease. We explored families' and clinicians' perspectives on pediatric TB infection diagnosis and care. METHODS: We conducted individual interviews and small group discussions with primary care and subspecialty clinicians, and individual interviews with caregivers of children diagnosed with TB infection. We sought to elicit facilitators and barriers to TB infection care engagement. We used applied thematic analysis to elucidate themes relating to care engagement, and organized themes using a cascade-grounded pediatric TB infection care engagement framework. RESULTS: We enrolled 19 caregivers and 24 clinicians. Key themes pertaining to facilitators and barriers to care emerged that variably affected engagement at different steps of care. Clinic and health system themes included the application of risk identification strategies and communication of risk; care ecosystem accessibility; programs to reduce cost-related barriers; and medication adherence support. Patient- and family-level themes included TB knowledge and beliefs; trust in clinicians, tests, and medical institutions; behavioral skills; child development and parenting; and family resources. CONCLUSIONS: Risk identification, education techniques, trust, family resources, TB stigma, and care ecosystem accessibility enabled or impeded care cascade engagement. Our results delineate an integrated pediatric TB infection care engagement framework that can inform multilevel interventions to improve retention in the pediatric TB infection care cascade.

Hospital readmission and parent perceptions of their child's hospital discharge.

OBJECTIVE: To describe parent perceptions of their child's hospital discharge and assess the relationship between these perceptions and hospital readmission. DESIGN: A prospective study of parents surveyed with questions adapted from the care transitions measure, an adult survey that assesses components of discharge care. Participant answers, scored on a 5-point Likert scale, were compared between children who did and did not experience a readmission using a Fisher's exact test and logistic regression that accounted for patient characteristics associated with increased readmission risk, including complex chronic condition and assistance with medical technology. SETTING: A tertiary-care children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 348 parents surveyed following their child's hospital discharge between March and October 2010. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Unplanned readmission within 30 days of discharge. RESULTS: There were 28 children (8.1%) who experienced a readmission. Children had a lower readmission rate (4.4 vs. 11.3%, P = 0.004) and lower adjusted readmission likelihood [odds ratio 0.2 (95% confidence interval 0.1, 0.6)] when their parents strongly agreed (n = 206) with the statement, 'I felt that my child was healthy enough to leave the hospital' from the index admission. Parent perceptions relating to care management responsibilities, medications, written discharge plan, warning signs and symptoms to watch for and primary care follow-up were not associated with readmission risk in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Parent perception of their child's health at discharge was associated with the risk of a subsequent, unplanned readmission. Addressing concerns with this perception prior to hospital discharge may help mitigate readmission risk in children.

Interferon Gamma Release Assay Results and Testing Trends Among Patients Younger Than 2 Years Old at Two US Health Centers.

BACKGROUND: Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are approved for children ≥2 years old to aid in diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease. Tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) continue to be the recommended method for diagnosis of TB infection in children <2 years, in part due to limited data and concern for high rates of uninterpretable results. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of IGRA use in patients <2 years old in 2 large Boston healthcare systems. The primary outcome was the proportion of valid versus invalid/indeterminate IGRA results. Secondary outcomes included concordance of IGRAs with paired TSTs and trends in IGRA usage over time. RESULTS: A total of 321 IGRA results were analyzed; 308 tests (96%) were valid and 13 (4%) were invalid/indeterminate. Thirty-seven IGRAs were obtained in immunocompromised patients; the proportion of invalid/indeterminate results was significantly higher among immunocompromised (27%) compared with immunocompetent (1%) patients ( P < 0.001). Paired IGRAs and TSTs had a concordance rate of 64%, with most discordant results in bacille Calmette-Guérin-vaccinated patients. The proportion of total TB tests that were IGRAs increased over the study period (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.85, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The high proportion of valid IGRA test results in patients <2 years of age in a low TB prevalence setting in combination with the known logistical and interpretation challenges associated with TSTs support the adoption of IGRAs for this age group in certain clinical scenarios. Interpretation of IGRAs, particularly in immunocompromised patients, should involve consideration of the broader clinical context.

Area-Based Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Latent Tuberculosis Infection in a Low-Prevalence Setting.

Area-based sociodemographic markers, such as census tract foreign-born population, have been used to identify individuals and communities with a high risk for tuberculosis (TB) infection in the United States. However, these markers have not been evaluated as independent risk factors for TB infection in children. We evaluated associations between census tract poverty, crowding, foreign-born population, and the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index (CDC-SVI) ranking and TB infection in a population of children tested for TB infection in Boston, Massachusetts. After adjustment for age, crowding, and foreign-born percentage, increasing census tract poverty was associated with increased odds of TB infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] per 10% increase in population proportion living in poverty: 1.20 [95% CI, 1.04-1.40]; P = 0.01), although this association was attenuated after further adjustment for preferred language. In separate models, increasing CDC-SVI ranking was associated with increased odds of TB infection, including after adjustment for age and language preference (aOR per 10-point increase in CDC-SVI rank: 1.08 [95% CI, 1.02-1.15]; P = 0.01). Our findings suggest area-based sociodemographic factors may be valuable for characterizing TB infection risk and defining the social ecology of pediatric TB infection in low-burden settings.

Increasing Use Of Interferon Gamma Release Assays Among Children ≥2 Years of Age in a Setting With Low Tuberculosis Prevalence.

US guidelines recommend interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) for diagnosis of tuberculosis infection in children. In this retrospective cohort study, IGRA use in children 2-17 years of age increased substantially between 2015 and 2021. Testing in inpatient/subspecialty settings (vs. primary care), public (vs. private) insurance, lower age and non-English preferred language were associated with increased odds of receiving an IGRA.

Characteristics of achieving clinically important weight loss in two paediatric weight management interventions.

OBJECTIVE: To examine characteristics and lifestyle behaviours associated with achieving clinically important weight loss (CIWL) in two paediatric weight management interventions (PWMIs). METHODS: We examined 1010 children enrolled in the STAR and Connect for Health trials. We defined achieving CIWL as any participant who had decreased their BMI z-score by ≥0.2 units over 1 year. Using log-binomial regression we examined associations of child and household characteristics and lifestyle behaviours with achieving CIWL. RESULTS: In multivariable analyses, children with severe obesity had a lower likelihood of achieving CIWL compared to children without severe obesity (RR: 0.68 [95% CI: 0.49, 0.95]). Children who were ≥10 years were less likely to achieve CIWL (RR: 0.56 [95% CI: 0.42, 0.74]) vs those 2-6 years of age. Children who consumed <1 sugary beverage per day at the end of the intervention were more likely to achieve CIWL vs those who did not meet the goal (RR: 1.36 [95% CI 1.09-1.70]). CONCLUSION: In this analysis of children enrolled in PWMIs, achieving CIWL was associated with younger age, not having severe obesity and consuming fewer sugary beverages at the end of the intervention. Focusing on intervening earlier in life, when a child is at a lower BMI, and reducing sugary beverages could allow for more effective PWMI's.

Effectiveness of a multistate quality improvement campaign in reducing risk of surgical site infections following hip and knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement (QI) campaigns appear to increase use of evidence-based practices, but their effect on health outcomes is less well studied. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a multistate QI campaign (Project JOINTS, Joining Organizations IN Tackling SSIs) that used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Rapid Spread Network to promote adoption of evidence-based surgical site infection (SSI) prevention practices. METHODS: We analysed rates of SSI among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty during preintervention (May 2010 to April 2011) and postintervention (November 2011 to September 2013) periods in five states included in a multistate trial of the Project JOINTS campaign and five matched comparison states. We used generalised linear mixed effects models and a difference-in-differences approach to estimate changes in SSI outcomes. RESULTS: 125 070 patients underwent hip arthroplasty in 405 hospitals in intervention states, compared with 131 787 in 525 hospitals in comparison states. 170 663 patients underwent knee arthroplasty in 397 hospitals in intervention states, compared with 196 064 in 518 hospitals in comparison states. After the campaign, patients in intervention states had a 15% lower odds of developing hip arthroplasty SSIs (OR=0.85, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.96, p=0.01) and a 12% lower odds of knee arthroplasty SSIs than patients in comparison states (OR=0.88, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.99, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: A larger reduction of SSI rates following hip and knee arthroplasty was shown in intervention states than in matched control states.

Are quality improvement collaboratives effective? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement collaboratives (QIC) have proliferated internationally, but there is little empirical evidence for their effectiveness. METHOD: We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library databases from January 1995 to December 2014. Studies were included if they met the criteria for a QIC intervention and the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) minimum study design characteristics for inclusion in a review. We assessed study bias using the EPOC checklist and the quality of the reported intervention using a subset of SQUIRE 1.0 standards. RESULTS: Of the 220 studies meeting QIC criteria, 64 met EPOC study design standards for inclusion. There were 10 cluster randomised controlled trials, 24 controlled before-after studies and 30 interrupted time series studies. QICs encompassed a broad range of clinical settings, topics and populations ranging from neonates to the elderly. Few reports fully described QIC implementation and methods, intensity of activities, degree of site engagement and important contextual factors. By care setting, an improvement was reported for one or more of the study's primary effect measures in 83% of the studies (32/39 (82%) hospital based, 17/20 (85%) ambulatory care, 3/4 nursing home and a sole ambulance QIC). Eight studies described persistence of the intervention effect 6 months to 2 years after the end of the collaborative. Collaboratives reporting success generally addressed relatively straightforward aspects of care, had a strong evidence base and noted a clear evidence-practice gap in an accepted clinical pathway or guideline. CONCLUSIONS: QICs have been adopted widely as an approach to shared learning and improvement in healthcare. Overall, the QICs included in this review reported significant improvements in targeted clinical processes and patient outcomes. These reports are encouraging, but most be interpreted cautiously since fewer than a third met established quality and reporting criteria, and publication bias is likely.