Knowledge needs—service delivery
| Service delivery | ||
| Element | Knowledge needs | Explanation |
| Information systems | Data availability, location and accessibility | What data sources are available? Where are the data sources located? Who can access the data sources? |
| Minimum standards of data quality | What is the quality (accuracy and completeness) of data sources? Is there a minimum standard that would ensure quality (accurate and complete) data? | |
| Purpose of data-capturing sources | What is the main purpose of the data-capturing sources (are they used in clinical audit, reporting to politicians, to inform local policy, etc)? | |
| Data needs | What type of information should be captured (clinical, patient-reported, process-based, etc)? | |
| Quality care | Patients’ perspectives of quality healthcare | What do patients want in terms of care processes and experiences (what does success look like to them)? |
| Patient-reported outcomes | What do patients want in terms of clinical outcomes (what does clinical success look like for them)? Are outcomes well defined in the region? | |
| Availability of resources | What necessary resources are available for providers to provide quality care? | |
| Providers’ perspectives of quality healthcare | What does quality healthcare look like to providers? | |
| Communication | Available patient information | What information is available to patients to assist them in making decisions about their surgical care? |
| Communication platform | What current and alternative communication platforms exist in surgical healthcare? | |
| Current and desired information flow | What is the current and desired process by which information is delivered and integrated? | |
| Language barriers | Are there language barriers that prevent patients from understanding information about surgical healthcare? If so, how can they be overcome? | |
| Cultural barriers | Are there cultural sensitivities that exist around surgical healthcare experience? If so, what are the conditions that can be put in place so they are better respected? | |
| Population’s literacy-level | What is the literacy level of the surgical population and how does this affect patient–provider communication? | |
| Access to care | Social and family responsibilities | What are the social/family responsibilities that hinder patients from seeking care? |
| Patients’ perspectives of barriers (including costs) | Patients’ perspectives of barriers (including costs) | |
| Patients’ perspectives of need for surgical care | What are patients’ perspectives concerning surgical conditions and surgical treatment, including invasive procedures? | |
| Transport barriers | What are barriers to efficient use of prehospital transport (ambulance, public, personal, interfacility, etc)? | |
| Existing care provision | What care-provision resources are currently available (situational analysis of facilities, staff availability and knowledge, referral systems)? | |
| Burden of disease | What is the burden of disease? | |
| Costing of services and resources | What is the cost of services and resources that ensure quality care? | |
| Patients’ perspectives of follow-up care | What are patients’ experiences, perceptions and desires concerning follow-up care? |