[External quality assessment of clinical services in Europe]

All countries and clinical specialties have some elements of systems for quality improvement, but their aims, configurations, models standards and assessments are often not formally recognised or integrated. External programmes to assess service delivery in Europe include the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) and Excellence (EFQM - European Foundation Quality Management) models (industry based, management focus), peer review and accreditation (health care based, professional focus) and inspection (regulatory, safety-focused). Patient surveys and disease registers also contribute to assessment and benchmarking best performance. There are legal, cultural, professional and commercial reasons to adopt common core standards but there is little legislative framework to allow formal harmonisation within and between countries and clinical specialties. Examples are given of various approaches to the definition, assessment and improvement of standards for clinical services in Europe in order to encourage specialist associations to develop self-regulations based on the experience of others. Clinical practice and clinical services could be more efficiently and effectively harmonised by the professions than by their respective governments.