Quality as an Issue

Abstract

Quality, like beauty, may well lie in the eye of the beholder. What is meant by ‘quality’ in medicine? Does good quality medicine lie in the bedside manner or general approachability of the doctor, of the nurse and of other health personnel? Does it lie in the quality of the ‘hotel’ services provided by hospitals? Does it lie in the effectiveness of the medical techniques applied, and in that case what do we mean by ‘effectiveness’? Does it mean the quicker someone is returned to his or her normal lifestyle the higher quality the medical intervention? Does it mean the more services provided for a given level of resources the ‘better’? Does it lie in the patient’s perception of the process he or she has undergone? This series of questions gives the flavour of the complexity which attends the definition and content of the notion of quality.