Quality assurance programmes and patient safety in anaesthesia.
Formal Quality Assurance programmes have been widely promoted and applied in anaesthesia departments in the United States of America. The rationale of three well-known programmes is examined. Although they may be of use as a method of examining one's own practice, there is little objective evidence to support the idea of measuring an anaesthesiologist's competence. There is also a danger that licensing authorities will misuse such spurious information.
Zeitlin
G L
GL
Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards*; D000761:Anesthesia Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000592:standards; D002983:Clinical Competence; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D008007:Licensure, Medical; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards; D012308:Risk Management; D012449:Safety; D014481:United States