Date | Event/actions | Accomplishments | ||
May 2002 | First North American Conference of Smoking Cessation Quitlines | Identified need for: | ||
Organisation to provide leadership and unified voice for quitlines | ||||
Common evaluation framework to promote shared learning | ||||
June 2003 | NAQC planning meeting held in Chicago, USA | Planners agreed to begin processes to create NAQC and a standard dataset | ||
Agreed to address need for standard dataset as first NAQC project | ||||
September 2003 | Health Canada hosts quitline meeting in Ottawa, Canada | Purpose and content of a minimal dataset discussed. Research and Evaluation (R&E) Working Group established by NAQC—joint Canadian and US leadership | ||
November 2003 to February 2004 | NAQC R&E working group met by teleconference | Extensive consultation with quitline stakeholders, tobacco control researchers | ||
Existing indicators and measures identified | ||||
Draft MDS completed, stakeholder consultation | ||||
June 2004 | NAQC meeting in San Diego, USA | R&E working group convened to review input from consultations | ||
MDS revised and only “essential” indicators included. Process for standardising optional questions developed | ||||
NAQC formally launched | ||||
MDS sent to stakeholders for final input | ||||
February 2005 | NAQC R&E working group meeting in Phoenix, Arizona | MDS items finalised, definitions adopted | ||
Included representation from ESCHER team working with ENQ | Methodological issues reviewed and guidelines prepared | |||
March 2005 to May 2005 | Vermont quitline pilot tested MDS | Pilot experience shared at NAQC annual meeting | ||
NAQC annual meeting | MDS launched with suggested implementation deadline of September 2005 | |||
June 2005 to September 2005 | NAQC prepares for September 2005 launch of MDS | MDS questions, technical support, frequently asked questions, MDS teleconferences offered by NAQC | ||
September 2005 onwards | North American quitlines begin conversion to MDS | Voluntary implementation of MDS |
ENQ, European Network of Quitlines; ESCHER, European Smoking Cessation Helplines Evaluation Research; MDS, minimal dataset; NAQC, North American Quitline Consortium.