quality assurance, (for health or related reasons) a pledge to the public by those within the various health disciplines that they will work toward the goal of an optimally achievable degree of excellence in the services rendered to every patient. See also quality management. ▪ METHOD: A quality assurance program takes into account the need to define that which is to be measured. Quality assurance implies a clear understanding of what is meant by quality and a valid and reliable method for evaluating the care that is provided. Implementation of a quality assurance program involves the development of criteria based on acceptable standards of care and norms of professional behavior. The norms are established by members of the profession or professions who are expert in the care of a specific patient population. Evaluation is conducted by a review committee and may be retrospective or concurrent. ▪ PATIENT CARE CONSIDERATIONS: The ultimate goal of both retrospective and concurrent review is improvement of patient care. Individual members of the health care team hold themselves accountable to the public and patient for the caliber of care they provide. ▪ OUTCOME CRITERIA: Outcome represents a measurable change in the health/illness status of the patient that is the end result of the care the patient received. Cost-benefit refers to the expenditure of money, time, and effort in providing health care and the relationship this cost bears to the actual benefits to the recipient of care. It is the promise to evaluate outcomes thoroughly and to employ the results of the evaluation for continuous improvement of patient care that is the essence of quality assurance.
