Quality Improvement: An ACQIP Exercise on Vaccine Administration—Part 1
Shannon Smith-Ross MPH
Staff of the Division of Quality Care
As part of Pediatrics in Review's ongoing focus on quality improvement, we present for the use of our readers this self-assessment exercise taken from the American Academy of Pediatrics' Ambulatory Care Quality Improvement Program (ACQIP). ACQIP is an educational program for pediatricians that embodies the concept of continuous quality improvement. It has been implemented successfully in physicians' offices, health maintenance organizations, and hospitals.
Currently, more than 2000 physicians worldwide are enrolled in ACQIP. The program is designed to help pediatricians evaluate their practices by comparing themselves with other physicians in similar practices and communities. Pediatricians in groups can use ACQIP to analyze practice variations within the group. Three aspects of care are addressed:
• Practice management
• Delivery of preventive care
• Patient satisfaction
Each year, a theme is selected. In 1992-1993, the first year, the theme was immunizations. The 1993-1994 program focused on telephone management, developmental assessment, and management of asthma. ACQIP is being used by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as a vehicle to disseminate and implement its new practice parameters on asthma, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, otitis media, gastroenteritis, head trauma, febrile seizures, and urinary tract infections. This year's exercises (September 1994 to August 1995) will be on otitis media and hyperbilirubinemia and will be based on the parameters.
