title: Explanation and elaboration of the SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) Guidelines, V.2.0: examples of SQUIRE elements in the healthcare improvement literature.
abstract: Since its publication in 2008, SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) has contributed to the completeness and transparency of reporting of quality improvement work, providing guidance to authors and reviewers of reports on healthcare improvement work. In the interim, enormous growth has occurred in understanding factors that influence the success, and failure, of healthcare improvement efforts. Progress has been particularly strong in three areas: the understanding of the theoretical basis for improvement work; the impact of contextual factors on outcomes; and the development of methodologies for studying improvement work. Consequently, there is now a need to revise the original publication guidelines. To reflect the breadth of knowledge and experience in the field, we solicited input from a wide variety of authors, editors and improvement professionals during the guideline revision process. This Explanation and Elaboration document (E&E) is a companion to the revised SQUIRE guidelines, SQUIRE 2.0. The product of collaboration by an international and interprofessional group of authors, this document provides examples from the published literature, and an explanation of how each reflects the intent of a specific item in SQUIRE. The purpose of the guidelines is to assist authors in writing clearly, precisely and completely about systematic efforts to improve the quality, safety and value of healthcare services. Authors can explore the SQUIRE statement, this E&E and related documents in detail at http://www.squire-statement.org.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA.
authors.forename: Daisy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.affiliation: Department of Education, Veterans Health Administration, White River Jct, Vermont, USA.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ogrinc
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Veterans Health Administration, White River Jct, Vermont, USA.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: G Ross
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barnsteiner
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA.
authors.forename: Tina C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gali
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Colorado Children's Hospital, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hilden
authors.affiliation: Division of Healthcare Delivery Science, New York University, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Leora
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Horwitz
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Institute and James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Heather C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leis
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Matulis
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michie
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miltner
authors.affiliation: National Center for Patient Safety, Veterans Health Administration, White River Junction, NH USA.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neily
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niedner
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Brant
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rutman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1814-4478
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thor
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards; D062209:Patient Handoff / Q000592:standards; D061214:Patient Safety; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Health services research; Implementation science; Quality improvement; Quality improvement methodologies; Statistical process control