[Clinical governance]

The direction of health organisations requires the coordination of diversified competencies, notably in administration, management and care. In France, for university hospitals, the law (decree) of 1958 is pivotal. Other approaches have been developed in other countries, depending on their history, traditions, and the organisation of their respective health care systems. These models can enlighten our current reflexions at a time when in France, the question of a new definition of governance for university hospitals is raised.