title: [There is no evidence for the employment of the tracer methodology for evaluation of quality in health care, neither in Denmark nor internationnaly].
abstract: The tracer method, which was launched by The Joint Commission in 2004 is used for quality assessment in the health-care system. Common tracers are system tracers, e.g. medication management and patient tracers. The method is used and recommended by several accreditation organisations, among these The Danish Institute for Quality and Accreditation in Healthcare (IKAS). However, based on the existing literature there is no evidence for the use of the method. Further research is needed in order to evaluate the efficacy of the method and to assure that compliance to all quality standards is assessed.
authors.affiliation: Klinisk Immunologisk Afdeling, Odense Universitetshospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C, Denmark. merete.eis.lund@ouh.regionsyddanmark.dk
authors.forename: Merete Eis
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: Marianne N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Skov
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mainz
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000592:standards; D003718:Denmark; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*