title: [Quality circles in German ambulatory care: results of a continuous documentation in the regions of Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Westphalia-Lippe 1995-2007].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quality circles (QC) are viewed as one of the most important tools of quality improvement and continuing education in ambulatory care. Yet, little is known about the quality of QC work.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1995 to 2007, an external assessment of QC work took place at four regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) Physicians. After each meeting, QC leaders completed questionnaires. This basic documentation focused on important features of QC work--continuity, topics, methods, results and satisfaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  28,800 meetings in 1,640 quality circles were documented, and 27,255 documents from 1,241 groups analysed. Continuity was high over long periods, and medical topics were dealt with in more than 80% of the time. The use of appropriate methods, however, have room for improvement. Participants were very satisfied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the first time the quality of QC structures, processes and results was assessed in Germany using a broad dataset. The working principles of QC appear to be well-established. Using the basic documentation practical recommendations are made to improve the quality of QC.
authors.affiliation: AQUA-Institut für angewandte Qualitätsförderung und Forschung im Gesundheitswesen GmbH, Göttingen. edith.andres@aqua-institut.de
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andres
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schorsch
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szecsenyi
authors.forename: Wolfgang-Axel
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Dryden
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kreuz
authors.forename: Maria-Tatjana
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Kunze
authors.forename: Karl-Wilhelm
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Tischer
authors.forename: Ferdinand M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Gerlach
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards*; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008332:Management Quality Circles / Q000592:standards; D012040:Regional Health Planning / Q000592:standards