Brit J Hosp Med
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Quality improvement in health care is a structured analysis of a health-care system with a view to improving its performance. This review describes the history of quality improvement and its growing application in health care. It gives further information for doctors wanting to participate.
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Clostridium difficile infection is responsible for a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, ranging from mild diarrhoea to fatal toxic colitis. This article reviews factors which may identify individuals who are at high risk of severe C. difficile-associated disease, and aims to help clinicians predict patients at risk of severe disease.
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Barrett's oesophagus is one of the most common pre-malignant conditions in the world and its incidence is increasing. The management of this disease is currently the subject of research and debate, with medical, endoscopic and operative intervention all having a therapeutic role.
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This article outlines the why, what and how of quality improvement with the aim of encouraging readers to move 'beyond audit' to undertake high calibre quality improvement projects within their daily work. It also provides a framework for presenting, publishing and disseminating quality improvement findings.