Quality assessement in lntensive Care Medicine

• Main Author: Moreno, Rui
• Publication Date: 1997
• Other Authors: Matos, Ricardo, Caixinha, João Paulo, Fevereiro, Teresa, Almeida, Eduardo
• Format: Article
• Language: por
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: https://revista.spmi.pt/index.php/rpmi/article/view/2253
• topic: avaliação de qualidade; melho­ria de qualidade; Medicina Intensiva; quality assessement; quality impro­vement; Intensive Care

The techniques of quality assessement and quality improvement are not new in the business world. However, their application to medicine has been delayed and amateurish by the medical professionals and entities involved. The evaluation of our attitudes, procedures and results, when we aim at attaining better quality of care, has been until now imprecise, incidental and intuitive. It can and should be precise, sys­tematic and rigorous. For that purpose, it is ne­cessary to use a common language, which pre­supposes an in-depth knowledge ofthe various deflnitions pertaining to this matter. The authors present and discuss the more fre­quently used terminology, comment on the pro­cess of quality evaluation and quality improve­ment in medicine, when focusing on the targets and beneftts. Finally, the applicabillty of this global approach to intensive care medicine in the 90's is discussed.