Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Perspective: riddles wrapped in enigma.

W C McCaughrin1

  • 1Department of Health Care Administration, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

Journal for Healthcare Quality : Official Publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality
|December 9, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Healthcare quality remains complex despite decades of research. This study proposes three hypotheses—conceptualization issues, inherent uncertainty, and deviance theory—to explain why healthcare quality is difficult to grasp for researchers and policymakers.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Outcome competencies for organizational behavior and theory.

The Journal of health administration education·2002
Same author

The treatment effectiveness of outpatient substance misuse treatment organizations between court-mandated and voluntary clients.

Substance use & misuse·1996
Same author

The effect of social environment on treatment outcomes in outpatient substance misuse treatment organizations: does race really matter?

Substance use & misuse·1996
Same author

Variation in access to outpatient substance abuse treatment: organizational factors and conceptual issues.

Journal of substance abuse·1996
Same author

Effective outpatient drug treatment organizations: program features and selection effects.

The International journal of the addictions·1992
Same author

Antecedents of optimal decision making for client care in health services delivery organizations.

Medical care review·1992

Area of Science:

  • Health Services Research
  • Sociology of Health

Background:

  • Despite extensive research over six decades, healthcare quality remains poorly understood.
  • This elusiveness poses challenges for health researchers and policymakers seeking to improve patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a framework explaining the persistent difficulty in understanding and explaining healthcare quality.
  • To advance three distinct hypotheses addressing the enigma of healthcare quality.

Main Methods:

  • The study reviews existing literature on healthcare quality research.
  • It formulates three hypotheses based on conceptualization, uncertainty, and sociological deviance models.
  • These hypotheses are integrated into a cohesive explanatory framework.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Hypothesis 1: Conceptualization of healthcare quality is inherently problematic.
  • Hypothesis 2: Uncertainty is a fundamental, embedded issue within healthcare quality.
  • Hypothesis 3: Sociological models of deviance offer insights into quality's incomprehensibility.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed framework integrates conceptual, uncertainty, and sociological factors to explain healthcare quality's elusive nature.
  • Understanding these factors is crucial for improving the clarity and application of healthcare quality research.
  • This work provides a foundation for future research aimed at demystifying healthcare quality.