[International dimension of quality evaluation and assurance]

Healthcare can be considered in terms of three components: technical care, management of the interpersonal relationship, and the amenities of care. Evaluation of these parameters allows an assessment of the quality of care, but only if the specific characteristics of the country involved are taken into account. Standards, resource availability, customs, and beliefs change from one society to another. Care assessment criteria must change accordingly. Similarly, quality assurance depends on the design of a system appropriate to the particular conditions of each place, and on the efficient monitoring of the system's performance.