[Quality control activities in 62 hospitals of the National Health System]

The increasing interest for quality in hospital care brought the need to evaluate the effect of quality control and quality assurance strategies that are being or could be implemented in spanish hospitals.

This article describes the results of the pre-assessment phase of a study carried out as a european concerted action in a total of 262 hospitals in 15 european countries. Spain contributed with 88 hospitals divided in two groups of 62 and 16 hospitals. The study herein reported refers to the group of 62 hospitals belonging to the spanish National Health System in which the characteristics of the hospital and the baseline situation in respect to quality assurance structures and activities have been assessed through the answers to the standard questionnaire used the study.

Sixty-two hospitals filled out the preassessment questionnaire. Twenty three (37%) have a quality assurance programme and eighteen have personnel assigned to it. Clinical or quality control committees exist in 56 hospitals (90.3%). Fifty six hospitals (88.7%) know their autopsy rate, and 27 (43.5%) know their nosocomial infection rate as well as the adverse reactions due to blood transfusions. Complaints are registered in 56 hospitals (90.3%) and patients surveys are carried out in 54 (87.1%). Only 33 hospitals (53.2%) actually use this data for quality assurance purposes.

Most of the quality activities in hospitals are carried out by physicians or nurses in the different clinical committees considered as quality committees. The patients surveys results and the data from patients complains are not used in those committees as inputs for quality actions. The committement of the top hospital management is needed to achieve an integrated approach to quality activities in hospitals.