Professionalism and evolving concepts of quality.
For much of the twentieth century, quality of care was defined specifically in terms of physician characteristics and behaviors. High-quality physicians were well trained, knowledgeable, skillful, and compassionate. More recently, quality of care has been defined in terms of systems of care. High-quality organizations develop and adopt practices to reduce adverse events and optimize outcomes. This essay discusses this transformation from physician-based to organization-based concepts of quality and the consequences for patient care and medical professionalism.
Katz
Jeffrey N
JN
Section of Clinical Sciences, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. jnknatz@partners.org
Kessler
Courtenay L
CL
O'Connell
Andrew
A
Levine
Sharon A
SA
D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000639:trends; D010819:Physician's Role; D011361:Professional Competence; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States