SQUIRE 2.0 (Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence): revised publication guidelines from a detailed...

Area of Science:

• Health services research
• Quality improvement science
• Medical informatics

Background:

• The science of health care improvement has seen significant advancements.
• Existing reporting guidelines needed revision to reflect current practices.
• A need exists for standardized methods to report complex health care interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and key components of SQUIRE 2.0.
• To provide updated guidelines for reporting health care improvement studies.
• To establish a common framework for disseminating discoveries in scholarly literature.

Main Methods:

• Revision process conducted between 2012 and 2015.
• Incorporated feedback via interviews, focus groups, and an international steering group.
• Utilized consensus meetings and pilot testing with authors and public comment.

Main Results:

• SQUIRE 2.0 emphasizes three core components: theory, context, and intervention.
• The guidelines accommodate the complexity and multidimensional nature of improvement work.
• The framework facilitates reporting across a wide range of improvement methodologies.

Conclusions:

• SQUIRE 2.0 provides a robust framework for reporting health care improvement research.
• It aims to standardize the scholarly reporting of quality, value, and safety initiatives.
• The guidelines offer common ground for sharing diverse improvement study findings.