Quality assurance as a managerial innovation: a research perspective

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Organizational Behavior
• Innovation Management

Background:

• Quality assurance (QA) programs are crucial for healthcare quality improvement.
• Existing research often lacks a theoretical framework for understanding QA program implementation.
• Innovation theory offers valuable insights into the adoption and diffusion of new practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define quality assurance within the context of innovation.
• To apply concepts from innovation theory to the study of QA programs.
• To identify factors influencing the successful implementation of QA initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Literature review integrating quality assurance definitions with innovation theory.
• Analysis of two key innovation perspectives: diffusion and adoption.
• Conceptual framework development for QA program innovation.

Main Results:

• Quality assurance programs can be viewed as innovations within organizations.
• The diffusion perspective highlights the characteristics of the QA innovation itself and its implementation process.
• The adoption perspective emphasizes organizational and individual factors affecting QA program uptake.

Conclusions:

• Applying innovation theory provides a robust framework for studying QA programs.
• Understanding diffusion and adoption factors is essential for effective QA implementation.
• Future research should explore specific organizational and individual determinants of QA success.