title: The International Federation for Emergency Medicine framework for quality and safety in the emergency department.
abstract: All emergency departments (EDs) have an obligation to deliver care that is demonstrably safe and of the highest possible quality. Emergency medicine is a unique and rapidly developing specialty, which forms the hub of the emergency care system and strives to provide a consistent and effective service 24 h a day, 7 days a week. The International Federation of Emergency Medicine, representing more than 70 countries, has prepared a document to define a framework for quality and safety in the ED. Following a consensus conference and with subsequent development, a series of quality indicators have been proposed. These are tabulated in the form of measures designed to answer nine quality questions presented according to the domains of structure, process and outcome. There is an urgent need to improve the evidence base to determine which quality indicators have the potential to successfully improve clinical outcomes, staff and patient experience in a cost-efficient manner--with lessons for implementation.
authors.affiliation: University of Sheffield/University of Manchester/Salford Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Emergency Medicine Research in Sheffield (EMRiS), School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lecky
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Care, Emergency Department, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benger
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.affiliation: College of Emergency Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D061214:Patient Safety; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012955:Societies, Medical
keywords: guidelines; management, emergency department management; management, quality assurance; management, risk management; quality assurance