Quality management: the role of hospital boards

The changing social, political and economic environment has, for the first time, forced hospitals to account for their financial performance. Hospitals have responded to this demand by restructuring, downsizing and implementing efficiencies. At the same time, professionals and consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of rapid change on the quality of hospital care. In this context, the challenge for all stakeholders is to explicitly outline who is responsible and accountable for assuring high quality hospital care. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of hospital boards in relation to quality improvement. A framework currently used by a metropolitan Canadian teaching hospital, to assure continuous quality improvement despite significant budget cuts, is outlined.