Continuous quality improvement in health care organisations

Quality Management has become a major concern in the delivery of health care. The demand of community, economics of medical practice especially due to technological advances, increasing legal action in malpractice cases and concern to protect the interest of clientele have focused the attention on quality management programmes for all hospital administrators, since the quality of health care has infinite number of elements. It is difficult to assess them all, yet we can demonstrate improvements in performed and elements of care, by putting each of these elements through measurable criteria. Quality assessment measures must cover the efficacy, efficiency, cost and outcome of health care technology. An elaborate valuation system should consist of detailed study of structure, process and outcome. This will establish a balanced equation between the performance and the resources. It is necessary to establish sound dependable methods like total quality management/continuous Quality Improvement in healthcare institutions. It is particularly important that quality care be ingrained as philosophy in Hospitals.