What is Quality Improvement (QI)?

QI in healthcare is generally defined as a series of systematic approaches which use clear processes to promote good clinical practice (i.e. clinical care that is safe, timely, effective, efficient, patient-centred, and equitable). 

The QI process involves:

1. Using theory and data to develop a way to solve a problem and improve clinical care
2. Using systematic processes to test and implement change
3. Measuring the size of the improvement/change

A key component throughout the QI process is measurement – using data to inform what needs to be improved and to support measuring for improvement in clinical care. SSNAP, which provides data on stroke care against evidence based standards, can be a very useful tool to measure the effectiveness of QI projects and the magnitude of improvement over time.

Making the most of SSNAP

There are numerous exciting and innovative ways in which SSNAP can be used for quality improvement purposes. With over 95% of stroke cases captured on SSNAP and complete participation from acute hospitals in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the “big data” available from this national registry on stroke care are robust, timely, and transparent.

Whether you wish to pursue local quality improvement projects within your local hospital, analyse specific aspects of your stroke services for a cohort of your patients, ascertain compliance with best practice tariff (BPT) measures, or initiate a national research project on stroke, SSNAP provides the tools and support required to do this. Many of these tools are only available to approved clinical SSNAP users. To register as a clinical user on SSNAP go to https://www.strokeaudit.org/Registration2.aspx and follow the onscreen instructions.


You can use the left hand menu to navigate through the different sections of the QI pages