External peer review in Europe: an overview from the ExPeRT Project. External Peer Review Techniques.
OBJECTIVE
This paper aims to evaluate the use and development of external peer review models and to identify where the main models are used in European Union member states and countries with reciprocal research agreements with the European Union.


METHODS
The ExPeRT (external peer review techniques) project research team conducted a series of fact-finding missions to all participating European nations. Study participants. I. Blomberg, Sweden; L. Bohigas, Spain; S. Cucic, The Netherlands; P. Morosini, Italy. The Project is led by C. Shaw, UK and is managed by C. Heaton, CASPE Research.


RESULTS
We identified four main external peer review models aimed at measuring the quality of service management and delivery: health care accreditation, the International Organization for Standardization ISO 9000 standards, the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model and visitatie, which is Dutch for 'visitation' or peer review-based schemes.


CONCLUSIONS
ExPeRT has demonstrated that in principle, convergence of the four main models in order to gain from each model's key strengths is feasible. Whether convergence is practical, depends upon the willingness of governments, health service providers, health care quality professionals and organizations to come together and adopt the recommendations of the ExPeRT project.
Heaton
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CASPE Research, London, UK.
D000068:Accreditation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D005062:European Union; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D018024:Peer Review, Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016730:Program Development; D015203:Reproducibility of Results