The Evidence-Based Clinical Quality Improvement Project Process Map & Clinical Guideline Advice: Practical Guidance, Advice, Strategies, Tips and Effi

*IMPORTANT NOTE: We have retired. Delfini tools and resources referenced in the book will be no longer available online after 2023.*

"Best help with evidence-based medicine available."Martin Gabica MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthwise

Health care visionaries have had this to say about guidelines accomplished under Mike's direction —

"Always a leader, Group Health has managed to create rigorous, evidence-based guidelines that embody the things I advocate. They use balance sheets to evaluate the benefits, harms and costs of treatments, and use the guidelines in a real-life setting. Anyone who uses these guidelines can expect to achieve better decision-making and improved-outcomes." David Eddy, MD, PhD

"Group Health Cooperative’s Clinical Practice Guidelines are among the very best available. They are carefully developed, thoroughly documented, assiduously updated, and presented in an easy-to-use form. They provide a superb example of what 'evidence-based medicine' can and should mean." Donald M. Berwick, MD

Are you focused on getting instruments to the surgery suite efficiently, while neglecting to examine whether you should be doing the surgery at all? Are you relying on medical science without understanding that much of it is unreliable? Are you wishing to take an evidence-based approach, but don't know how to proceed?

This book is about the process steps for optimal decision-making and clinical improvement for medical interventions. This book is about helping leaders, members and staffers of clinical quality improvement teams take the right steps, efficiently, to design, implement and evaluate an evidence-based clinical quality improvement project. A key component for such an activity, as the name tells us, is evidence—and, therefore, this book is very focused on the quality of health care information.

Delfini evidence-based clinical improvement experts and medical information scientists, Sheri Ann Strite and Michael E. Stuart MD, lead you through the steps, giving you tips for efficiencies along the way.

The authors have extensive experience in evidence-based medicine techniques, evidence-based clinical improvement work and development of clinical practice guidelines. Benefit from their experience and tips for evidence-based practice and efficiencies.

Delfini Group is a public service entrepreneurship founded to advance applied evidence- and value-based clinical quality improvements through practice, training and facilitation. Much of Delfini’s work is dedicated to solving medical misinformation problems. Delfini has contributed to text books, advised government entities, worked with health care systems, payers and manufacturers and has trained thousands in evidence-based quality improvement.

Michael E. Stuart MD & Sheri Ann Strite are medical information scientists, evidologists and clinical improvement experts who combine academic and practical experience to train people how to evaluate medical research studies, conduct evidence reviews, help health care systems apply evidence- and value-based clinical quality improvement methods including special help for work groups such as clinical guideline development teams, pharmacy & therapeutics and medical technology assessment committees, clinical quality improvement teams and more. They also train physicians and others in communicating with patients.

Sheri Ann Strite, Co-founder, Principal & Managing Partner, initiated many Delfini health care improvement strategies, tools and training programs including the popular Delfini critical appraisal training program. Formerly she was Associate Director, Program Development, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Family & Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, where she taught faculty, physicians, residents, students and others. She was also a member of the UCSD Family Medicine Research Leaders and faculty for their Research Fellowship in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine. Prior to UCSD, Ms. Strite worked in clinical improvement, education and research at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington, where she held various positions.

Michael E. Stuart MD, Co-founder, President & Medical Director, is a family physician and was appointed clinical faculty at the University of Washington in 1975. He is the former Director of the Department of Clinical Improvement and Education at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington, where he led development of more than 35 evidence-based clinical guidelines and other clinical improvements, chaired the Pharmacy & Therapeutics and Medical Technology Assessment Committees. His work has received praise from prominent health care leaders such as David Eddy MD, Don Berwick MD, Health Ministry of New Zealand and the US Navy.