European Journal of General Practice, 2013; 19: 266–274
NEWS & AGENDA
Eur J Gen Pract Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Politecnica on 10/25/14 For personal use only.
The news section of the ‘European Journal of General Practice’ would like to inform on current issues in Primary Care, in collaboration with Wonca Europe and the networks of Wonca Europe. Send in your contributions to [email protected]. Your contribution should not exceed 650 words and should be headed by a short and catchy title.
News EQUIP: EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY AND SAFETY IN FAMILY PRACTICE
Quality improvement in general practice in the context of a European project INTRODUCTION Quality Improvement (QI) is an important and integral feature of Family Medicine/General Practice (FM/GP). It is a professional responsibility of physicians and should constitute a routine part of their everyday practice. The European Society for Quality and Safety in Family Practice (EQuiP) is a network organization that operates within the Wonca Region Europe. It offers a structure for collaboration and exchange of expertise as well as initiates projects concerning QI. In 2011 and 2012, EQuiP, together with partners from Poland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, participated in the large European Leonardo da Vinci project (no: 2010-1-PL1-LEO05-11473 entitled ‘inGPinQI’). The project focused on the improvement of existing QI training programmes aimed at practicing physicians and teachers of FM/GP. The aims of this article are: (1) to inform the European general practitioners/ family physicians (GPs/FPs) of all products and materials developed within the project and (2) to encourage familiarization with and use of these materials in education and other activities related to QI in practice.
PRODUCTS OF THE PROJECT The products developed in the inGPinQI project (Table 1) were aimed at enhancing current QI educational programs for primary care physicians in Europe.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED PROJECT PRODUCTS Web-based tool It offers a comprehensive list of QI competencies (altogether 35 competencies organized in six domains) and helps individual GPs/FPs identify their training needs and gaps in competencies. The tool may be used also by teachers in planning and evaluating CME programmes and courses. ISSN 1381-4788 print/ISSN 1751-1402 online © 2013 Informa Healthcare DOI: 10.3109/13814788.2013.842971
Tomasz Tomasik Department of Family Medicine Jagiellonian University Medical College [email protected] Violetta Kijowska Department of Family Medicine Jagiellonian University Medical College The College of Family Physicians in Poland [email protected]
Communication and Information
267
Table 1. The main products of the inGPinQI project. No. 1.
2.
3. 4. 5.
Eur J Gen Pract Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Politecnica on 10/25/14 For personal use only.
6.
Title Report on the existing training programs, methods and tools in the field of QI Report on the successfully implemented QI projects concerning cardiovascular diseases in Europe Web-based tool to identify individual, educational needs of GPs/FPs in QI GuideBook on implementation of QI in General Practice Course and learning materials for teachers in QI Distance-learning course module for GPs/FPs on QI
Type
Language version
Availability
Report
ENG. Summary in: PL, SL, CS
http://ingpinqi.eu/products/report-1/
Report
ENG. Summary in: PL, SL, CS
http://ingpinqi.eu/products/report-2/
Web-based tool
http://ingpinqi.eu/tool/
Training materials on CD
ENG, PL, SL, CS, NL, ALB ENG, PL, SL, CS printed version in ENG ENG
On-line course
ENG, PL, SL, CS
http://ingpinqi.eu/docqi/
Booklet
Guidebook It intends to illustrate the scope of QI in the context of FM/GP and to introduce practical means of assessing and improving the quality of care. It consists of two parts (1) concept and examples; (2) tools and methods and appendixes; 130 pages in total. Distance-learning course module It is an educational tool for GPs/FPs that offers an introduction to the concept and practice of QI in primary health care. It is dedicated to physicians with narrow experience in QI, and consists of three parts: 1) an introduction, 2) a definition of the problem and 3) management of changes. Course and learning materials for teachers in QI A basic structure (five modules, three hours each) and a set of learning materials is offered that can be used for educating teachers. The content and materials can be adapted to the specific requirements of different EU countries. At the beginning of this year all resources developed within the project were made freely available on the website: http://www.ingpinqi.eu. Conclusions There are large differences in the way European countries implement QI activities. It appears that there is a particular need to strengthen postgraduate and continuing education of physicians in the field of QI in Eastern Europe. What is needed to facilitate activities in practices is not only education, but also changes in how GPs approach QI. A critical look at the current performance and outcomes of care as well as promotion of methods of improving care are required. Systematic and continuous activities should be initiated by the practicing physicians themselves, but essential support from authorities is also fundamental. We believe that the products and resources developed within the project will be useful for European GPs/FPs, especially those in Eastern Europe. Other health care professionals are also encouraged to use them.
http://ingpinqi.eu/products/guidebook-2/ http://ingpinqi.eu/VET/index.html
NEWS & AGENDA
Eur J Gen Pract Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Politecnica on 10/25/14 For personal use only.
The news section of the ‘European Journal of General Practice’ would like to inform on current issues in Primary Care, in collaboration with Wonca Europe and the networks of Wonca Europe. Send in your contributions to [email protected]. Your contribution should not exceed 650 words and should be headed by a short and catchy title.
News EQUIP: EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY AND SAFETY IN FAMILY PRACTICE
Quality improvement in general practice in the context of a European project INTRODUCTION Quality Improvement (QI) is an important and integral feature of Family Medicine/General Practice (FM/GP). It is a professional responsibility of physicians and should constitute a routine part of their everyday practice. The European Society for Quality and Safety in Family Practice (EQuiP) is a network organization that operates within the Wonca Region Europe. It offers a structure for collaboration and exchange of expertise as well as initiates projects concerning QI. In 2011 and 2012, EQuiP, together with partners from Poland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, participated in the large European Leonardo da Vinci project (no: 2010-1-PL1-LEO05-11473 entitled ‘inGPinQI’). The project focused on the improvement of existing QI training programmes aimed at practicing physicians and teachers of FM/GP. The aims of this article are: (1) to inform the European general practitioners/ family physicians (GPs/FPs) of all products and materials developed within the project and (2) to encourage familiarization with and use of these materials in education and other activities related to QI in practice.
PRODUCTS OF THE PROJECT The products developed in the inGPinQI project (Table 1) were aimed at enhancing current QI educational programs for primary care physicians in Europe.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED PROJECT PRODUCTS Web-based tool It offers a comprehensive list of QI competencies (altogether 35 competencies organized in six domains) and helps individual GPs/FPs identify their training needs and gaps in competencies. The tool may be used also by teachers in planning and evaluating CME programmes and courses. ISSN 1381-4788 print/ISSN 1751-1402 online © 2013 Informa Healthcare DOI: 10.3109/13814788.2013.842971
Tomasz Tomasik Department of Family Medicine Jagiellonian University Medical College [email protected] Violetta Kijowska Department of Family Medicine Jagiellonian University Medical College The College of Family Physicians in Poland [email protected]
Communication and Information
267
Table 1. The main products of the inGPinQI project. No. 1.
2.
3. 4. 5.
Eur J Gen Pract Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Politecnica on 10/25/14 For personal use only.
6.
Title Report on the existing training programs, methods and tools in the field of QI Report on the successfully implemented QI projects concerning cardiovascular diseases in Europe Web-based tool to identify individual, educational needs of GPs/FPs in QI GuideBook on implementation of QI in General Practice Course and learning materials for teachers in QI Distance-learning course module for GPs/FPs on QI
Type
Language version
Availability
Report
ENG. Summary in: PL, SL, CS
http://ingpinqi.eu/products/report-1/
Report
ENG. Summary in: PL, SL, CS
http://ingpinqi.eu/products/report-2/
Web-based tool
http://ingpinqi.eu/tool/
Training materials on CD
ENG, PL, SL, CS, NL, ALB ENG, PL, SL, CS printed version in ENG ENG
On-line course
ENG, PL, SL, CS
http://ingpinqi.eu/docqi/
Booklet
Guidebook It intends to illustrate the scope of QI in the context of FM/GP and to introduce practical means of assessing and improving the quality of care. It consists of two parts (1) concept and examples; (2) tools and methods and appendixes; 130 pages in total. Distance-learning course module It is an educational tool for GPs/FPs that offers an introduction to the concept and practice of QI in primary health care. It is dedicated to physicians with narrow experience in QI, and consists of three parts: 1) an introduction, 2) a definition of the problem and 3) management of changes. Course and learning materials for teachers in QI A basic structure (five modules, three hours each) and a set of learning materials is offered that can be used for educating teachers. The content and materials can be adapted to the specific requirements of different EU countries. At the beginning of this year all resources developed within the project were made freely available on the website: http://www.ingpinqi.eu. Conclusions There are large differences in the way European countries implement QI activities. It appears that there is a particular need to strengthen postgraduate and continuing education of physicians in the field of QI in Eastern Europe. What is needed to facilitate activities in practices is not only education, but also changes in how GPs approach QI. A critical look at the current performance and outcomes of care as well as promotion of methods of improving care are required. Systematic and continuous activities should be initiated by the practicing physicians themselves, but essential support from authorities is also fundamental. We believe that the products and resources developed within the project will be useful for European GPs/FPs, especially those in Eastern Europe. Other health care professionals are also encouraged to use them.
http://ingpinqi.eu/products/guidebook-2/ http://ingpinqi.eu/VET/index.html
