A model for the development and implementation of a quality assurance programme in an acute care facility

Whatever model a hospital may choose for its Quality Assurance Programme--centralised or decentralised, simple or complex, it is important to remember its purpose: it should be educational, not punitive. It should be of genuine value, not done only for the satisfaction of Accreditation requirements. And just because quality is difficult to measure does not mean we shouldn't try. As with examinations, it is often not the exam that is valuable, it is the preparation for it. If a factory manufacturing widgets has a Quality Assurance Programme, is it not reasonable to believe that a hospital whose product is patient care should also have such a programme?