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.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1995 Richard G. Brooks
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brooks, R.G. (1995). Quality as an Issue. In: Health Status Measurement: A Perspective on Change. Economic Issues in Health Care. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-23687-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-23687-9_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-52720-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-23687-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)