21 - Monitoring and/or auditing criteria
The guideline presents monitoring and/or auditing criteria.
User’s Manual Description:
Measuring the application of guideline recommendations can facilitate their ongoing use. This requires clearly defined criteria that are derived from the key recommendations in the guideline. The criteria may include process measures, behavioral measures, clinical or health outcome measures. Examples of monitoring and audit criteria are:
- The HbA1c should be < 8.0%.
- The level of diastolic blood pressure should be < 95 mmHg.
- 80% of the population aged 50 years should receive colorectal cancer screening rates using fecal occult blood tests.
- If complaints of acute otitis media last longer than three days, amoxicillin should be prescribed.
Where to Look:
Examine the paragraph/chapter on auditing or monitoring the use of the guideline or, if available, additional documents with specific plans or strategies for evaluation of the guideline. Examples of commonly labeled sections or chapters in a guideline where this information can be found include: recommendations, quality indicators, and audit criteria.
How to Rate:
Item content includes the following CRITERIA:
- identification of criteria to assess guideline implementation or adherence to recommendations
- criteria for assessing impact of implementing the recommendations
- advice on the frequency and interval of measurement
- descriptions or operational definitions of how the criteria should be measured
Additional CONSIDERATIONS:
- Is the item well written? Are the descriptions clear and concise?
- Is the item content easy to find in the guideline?
- Are a range of criteria provided including process measures, behavioural measures, and clinical or health outcomes?
