Combining quantitative and qualitative research to engage stakeholders in developing quality indicators in general practice.

In 2000, the Newcastle Institute of Public Health (NIPH) undertook a project that aimed to review, identify and where necessary, develop a range of indicators of quality service provision in general practice. We describe the way in which quantitative and qualitative research methods (including a Delphi style survey) were combined to investigate consensus amongst stakeholders in defining quality indicators. Over 500 general practice stakeholders were consulted. They included general practitioners (GPs) and their representative groups, academics, policy makers, and consumers. Several important lessons were learnt from the process, including the importance of involving a broad representative group of stakeholders, informing workshop participants in advance, providing adequate response times for the Delphi surveys and using videoconferencing technologies.