Table 1

Framework for describing the key features of a QI intervention

Relevant features of the intervention	How to elicit the information
(1) Global typing of the intervention (see also the EPOC checklist)	Describe the type of intervention concerned:
	• Interventions orientated towards health professionals, e.g
	(a) distribution of educational materials
	(b) patient mediated interventions
	(c) etc
	• Organisational interventions, e.g.
	(a) provider orientated interventions:
	(i) revision of professional roles
	(ii) etc
	(b) patient orientated interventions:
	(i) mail order pharmacies
	(ii) etc
	(c) structural interventions:
	(i) changes to the setting/site of service delivery
	(ii) etc
	• Financial interventions, e.g.
	(a) care-provider financial interventions:
	(i) fee for service
	(ii) etc
	(b) patient financial interventions:
	(i) co-payment
	(ii) etc
	• Regulatory interventions, e.g.
	(a) management of patient complaints
	(b) etc
If multiple options have been mentioned above, then the features of each of the options must be filled in separately

(2) Target group/participants
2.1. Professional status of patient categories	• Describe the professions of the participants or the patient categories that the intervention is aimed at
2.2. Interaction between participants	• Describe whether the intervention is aimed at individuals or members of a group
	• If the intervention is aimed at group members, describe whether the group is homogenous or heterogenous
2.3. Size of the target group	• Describe the total number of groups that the intervention is aimed at
	• Describe the size of each group
	• Describe per profession or per patient category the total number of individuals (these may be members of a number of groups) that the intervention is aimed at (e.g. 70 internists and 110 diabetic nurses)
2.4. Motivation for participation	• Describe the motivation behind participation (e.g. voluntary or obligatory participation, accreditation, financial reward, etc)

(3) “Implementer”
3.1. Professional status	• Describe the professional backgrounds of the implementers, i.e. the individuals who have actual contact with the target group (the instructor, the feedbackprovider, etc)
3.2. Opinion leaders	• Describe whether the individual who implements the intervention can be considered as opinion leader for the target group
3.3. Authority	• Describe the authority on whose basis the intervention is implemented (e.g. the implementer is an expert, representative for the target group, has power etc)

(4) Frequency
4.1. Number	• Describe the number of identical intervention activities (e.g. sending feedback reports on 4 occasions, making 5 visits to the practice, organising 1 CME meeting)
4.2. Time intervals	• Describe the time intervals between the above mentioned identical intervention activities
4.3. Duration	• Describe the duration of each identical intervention activity at each contact meeting

(5) Information about the innovation
5.1. Type of information about the innovation or guideline	• Describe the type of information that was given in the intervention about the innovation (e.g. the actual text of a published guideline, information on certain recommendations or indicators)
5.2. Presentation form of the information about the innovation or guideline	• Describe the presentation form of the information provided (e.g. descriptive, illustrative, graphic, tables etc)
5.3. Medium	• Describe how the information was provided (e.g. verbally, written, automated etc)

(6) Information about target group management/performance
6.1. Type of information about performance	• Describe the type of information that was given in the intervention about the performance of the target group (e.g. information about individual performance regarding certain patient categories, information about the performance of the total group of participants, information about individual performance as measured with paper cases, information about national reference values, etc)
6.2. Presentation form of the information about performance	• Describe the presentation form of the information provided (e.g. descriptive, illustrative, graphic, tables, etc)
6.3. Medium	• Describe how the information was provided (e.g. verbally, written, automated, etc)
6.4. Feasibility of comparing information on performance	• Describe the feasibility of comparing individual performance with that of others or with general criteria (guidelines, recommendations)