Assuring Quality of Health Care

Abstract

This article reviews currently used quality assurance techniques. It assumes a broad definition of quality that includes attention to the content and professional judgment exercised in the provision of health services, as well as the appropriateness of resource utilization. Emphasis is on more or less generic approaches to review that can be applied regardless of the specific health profession involved. After describing and contrasting various quality assurance techniques, the article concludes with a general discussion of effectiveness, problems in initiating behavior change, and opportunities for further research and evaluation.

Nursing Home Deficiencies in the United States

“…The quality of care in health settings is a notoriously complicated issue (Demlo 1983;Zimmerman et al 1995). Demlo (1983), for example, said that the definition of quality is "multidimensional, value laden, and dynamic, changing according to changes in medical technology and consumer expectations."…”

“…The quality of care in health settings is a notoriously complicated issue (Demlo 1983;Zimmerman et al 1995). Demlo (1983), for example, said that the definition of quality is "multidimensional, value laden, and dynamic, changing according to changes in medical technology and consumer expectations." The meaning of quality care in long-term care facilities has evolved beyond simple conceptions of technical and medical quality of care to include concerns with residents and their families as consumers.…”

Evaluating intervention programmes for quality assurance in hospitals

“…improvement in the patient's medical condition. The process of improving professional practice, and thus the quality of care, is necessarily a gradual one: as with the third stage of intervention programmes, improvement in the quality of care will evolve only after a lengthy period of time [36].…”

Is the Quality of Care in Twins and in Singletons Related?

“…In this study, twins have been used as "tracers" [4] of the quality of perinatal care. The method is based on the assumption that a properly selected set of health problems can serve as tracers for assessing the entire range of activities involved in the provision of health services to a specified population [3]. Process and outcome indicators are used to assess the quality of the care given to the selected tracers.…”