Quality assurance: the buck stops with the board

Quality assurance is an ongoing process that seeks to measure and evaluate levels of service in light of prevailing standards of professional conduct; its ultimate goal is behavior modification. To ensure effective quality assurance in their institutions, trustees should accept the legal and civic responsibilities of their trusteeship, understand and participate in the quality assurance process, and take steps to ensure that the board's responsibility for the provision of care is not met at the expense of quality.