Quality assurance activities in healthcare facilities

Since the 1960s there have been concerted efforts to initiate, develop, and promulgate quality assurance policies and protocols in healthcare facilities in the United States. These activities were spurred mainly by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which ensures that hospitals monitor and evaluate their services based on predetermined criteria. This paper considers how quality assurance activities have been implemented in healthcare facilities, reviews various obstacles to the full development of the quality assurance program, and suggests several areas in which corrective actions could be undertaken.