The Health Information and Quality Authority has launched a public consultation on the Draft National Quality Assurance Criteria for Clinical Guidelines. This guidance document aims to set out criteria to quality assure clinical guidelines which will support continuous improvement in the quality and safety of healthcare in Ireland.

HIQA is making the draft Criteria available for consultation as it is important to gather the views of the public, service providers and healthcare professionals.

Within the Irish healthcare system there have been many examples of clinical guidelines that have been developed and used in delivering healthcare. These Criteria will, for the first time, allow clinical guidelines to be quality assured and recommended for use as National Clinical Guidelines in Ireland.

Dr Deirdre Mulholland, Head of Standards and Methodology with the Authority said “These National Quality Assurance Criteria aim to support the development of good quality clinical guidelines that are evidence-based and cost-effective. They will help service users to make more informed healthcare choices and will assist healthcare professionals in making decisions that are based on the best available evidence. They will help support a sustainable healthcare system in Ireland by improving efficiency within available resources.”

The Draft National Quality Assurance Criteria for Clinical Guidelines are based on international evidenced-based tools that are used to assure the quality of clinical guidelines but with greater emphasis on issues that have higher relevance and importance within the Irish healthcare system. The document also provides an overview of the benefits, limitations and effectiveness of clinical guidelines and the steps involved in developing them - from the planning stage, through development to final implementation.

The National Clinical Effectiveness Committee (NCEC) was established in 2010 as recommended by the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance to promote clinical effectiveness in the Irish Healthcare system. These National Quality Assurance Criteria support the NCEC in quality assuring and recommending National Clinical Guidelines which provides legitimacy to these guidelines as an important contributor to safe, high quality healthcare for service users.

HIQA is especially interested in gathering the views of healthcare professionals and those involved in the development of clinical guidelines to hear their views on these Criteria. Following the consultation, the feedback received by the Authority will be used to inform the final Criteria.

The closing date for comments is 25 August 2011.

Further Information: 

Call (01) 814 7446 or email consultation@hiqa.ie.