Clinical benchmarking: implications for perinatal nursing.
Health care is a dynamic environment where expectations of quality must be balanced with appropriateness of treatment and cost of care. Managers often have inadequate information on which to base decisions, policy, and practice. Clinical benchmarking is a tool and a process of continuously comparing the practices and performances of one's operations against those of the best in the industry or the focused area of service and then using that information to enhance and improve performance and productivity. The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of benchmarking as well as the factors influencing the need for such tools in health care and in perinatal nursing.
Health Care Consulting, Ernst & Young LLP, Washington, DC, USA.
K
K
Fitzgerald
D019985:Benchmarking / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*