Διασφάλιση ποιότητας στον τομέα της υγείας : ιατρικά πρωτόκολλα

Abstract

The idea of quality in health care services is not new. The effort to deliver quality health care services began during the 19th century. Today, this notion is seen as a moral obligation, however quality assurance and continuous improvement in this field forms part of a total quality management practice and responsibility. Delivering health care services that comply with the standards set (not only by the health care professionals themselves, but also by the community) presupposes the development of models of quality assurance. Models assure that the manner in which health care services are delivered is always the same for every “client”. However, quality assurance models bear the respective cost, i.e. the cost of quality. The cost of quality should be envisaged as another aspect of the total quality management practice and be a part of the broader commitment to the quality improvement of health care services. Adopting TQM principles results in better management of resources and cost reduction in the long run. The most important tool for implementing TQM principles in the field of health care services is clinical protocols. They describe step by step the process of delivering health care and they assure that every patient with a specific condition will receive the same treatment. Protocols are not only beneficial to patients, but also to health care professionals and institutions. However, they need to be developed based on sound references and studies and with the participation of all the interested parties in order to assure that they serve their initial purpose, which is the proper treatment in the proper way, for all patients.