Abstract

NABIALCZYK-CHALUPOWSKI, Malgorzata. Tracking the origins, defining and quantifying quality of care: Can we reach a consensus?. J. Hum. Growth Dev. [online]. 2016, vol.26, n.2, pp. 133-138. ISSN 0104-1282.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7322/jhgd.119237.

This editorial presents a summary of the narrative used in teaching fundamentals of quality management in healthcare to medical students and health professionals with limited or negative prior experience in the field of quality monitoring and improvement - i.e. those who find the topic dry and disconnected from their everyday clinical experience, lacking in human dimension, and confusing due to the multitude of definitions of quality of care and the considerable inconsistency of the terminology used in quality assessment. In order to remedy the problem, the topic is presented through an historical perspective of the concept of quality as seen throughout the ages - beginning in antiquity, through 19^th and early 20^th century quality control initiatives which evolved into the quality management policies and culture now firmly present in many of the contemporary domains of human endeavor. It is also envisioned that specific tools developed in this study for didactic purposes (a new definition of quality of care and a framework for classifying quality indicators) may play a role in encouraging a more effective dialog among all those passionate about the issue of healthcare quality monitoring, assessment, and improvement.

Keywords : quality of care; management; ethical and healthcare.

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