title: Validating and determining the weight of items used for evaluating clinical governance implementation based on analytic hierarchy process model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of implementing a system such as Clinical Governance (CG) is to integrate, establish and globalize distinct policies in order to improve quality through increasing professional knowledge and the accountability of healthcare professional toward providing clinical excellence. Since CG is related to change, and change requires money and time, CG implementation has to be focused on priority areas that are in more dire need of change. The purpose of the present study was to validate and determine the significance of items used for evaluating CG implementation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was descriptive-quantitative in method and design. Items used for evaluating CG implementation were first validated by the Delphi method and then compared with one another and ranked based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The items that were validated for evaluating CG implementation in Iran include performance evaluation, training and development, personnel motivation, clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, risk management, resource allocation, policies and strategies, external audit, information system management, research and development, CG structure, implementation prerequisites, the management of patients' non-medical needs, complaints and patients' participation in the treatment process. The most important items based on their degree of significance were training and development, performance evaluation, and risk management. The least important items included the management of patients' non-medical needs, patients' participation in the treatment process and research and development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The fundamental requirements of CG implementation included having an effective policy at national level, avoiding perfectionism, using the expertise and potentials of the entire country and the coordination of this model with other models of quality improvement such as accreditation and patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Health and Management, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Elaheh
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hooshmand
authors.affiliation: Hospital Management Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.|School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sogand
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tourani
authors.affiliation: School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ravaghi
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Health and Management, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vafaee Najar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Records and Health Information Technology, School of Paramedical Sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Marziye
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meraji
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Health and Management, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebrahimipour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054976:Clinical Governance / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003697:Delphi Technique; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017146:Models, Organizational; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); Clinical Governance (CG); Evaluation; Implementation; Validating