Table 1 STRIVE CQI program

Clinical data report

• De-identified data extracted from (i) participating laboratories and (ii) electronic medical records

• Both data sets used to ensure data quality

• 6 monthly clinic-specific clinical data reports presented to staff at a face-to-face visit

• Visual format provided clinic staff with insights into their local clinical practice associated with the STRIVE ‘best practice targets’

Systems Assessments Tool

• Using the Systems Assessment Tool developed by other Australian CQI programs [7], STRIVE developed a tool specific to sexual health

• Encompassed six components which impacted on the systematic delivery of sexual health care

• Staff self-rated their clinic on a scale from 0 to 11 (11 indicating the best practice level had been achieved)

• The tool took 1–3 h to complete and aimed to include all staff working within the clinic

Action Plan setting

• Gaps highlighted within the Systems Assessment Tool and clinical data report fed into an Action Plan

• Action Plan was specific to each clinic

• Driven by clinical staff

• Includes designated roles and responsibilities

STRIVE coordinator

• Employed through STRIVE

• Five coordinators employed to work with participating sites

• Worked in partnership with any existing, regionally based sexual health roles who were employed by health departments or community controlled services

• Maintained regular contact with participating clinics through 3 monthly phone calls

• 6 monthly face-to-face clinic visits involved delivering clinical activity reports, undertaking systems assessments and creating action plans

Health Promotion funding

• STRIVE provided clinics with a one-off $2000 payment

• Payment was to be used toward an activity designed to encourage young people into the clinics for STI testing

Clinic incentive payments

• Individual clinics paid per test done and in relation to overall improvement toward meeting STI best practice targets

• Money could be used as desired by each clinic