[Process management in a radiology department. Impact on the quality system]

The purpose of this work was the transition from a mode of management combining TQM (Total Quality Management) based on the European model "EFQM", and quality assurance based on the ISO 9001-1994 certification model, to the ISO 9001-2000 certification model which imposes process management and integrates both management and quality assurance. In order to visualize the inter-relation between processes, a processes-map was made. That is to say a representation of the organization in terms of inputs and outputs. Those processes were divided step by step, from general to final processes which were translated into an algorithmic approach. Subsequently, two external auditors were asked to evaluate the new quality system. They used three quality standards (IOS 9001-2000, MFQ and ANAES) in order to determine the adaptation score of the quality system. Finally, the implementation of the department documentation system on an intranet was evaluated by means of two questionnaires: a qualitative one, dealing with staff acceptability, and a quantitative one, dealing with research effectiveness.