Section II. QUALITY MEDICAL CARE
3-4.
DEFINITIONS
To better understand quality assurance, you will need to know certain terms
associated with it. You should become familiar with the following terms:
a. Quality of Care. This term relates to the degree of excellence of medical care
provided to a patient.
b. Quality Assurance. "Quality Assurance" is used to identify the delivery of
optimal patient care within the available resources.
c. Continuing A ssessment. This term refers to the ongoing review and
evaluation of patient care with appropriate response to findings.
d. Utilization Review. "Utilization review" applies to the evaluation of the
allocation or management of resources in the most effective manner. (Resources include
people, material, equipment, space, time, etc.)
e. Integrated Approach to Quality Assurance. An "integrated approach to
quality assurance" means that quality assurance activities are coordinated and unified
within the medical treatment facility.
f. Assessment Criteria. This term relates to the standard against which
performance is measured and assured.
g. Credentialing. "Credentialing" is the granting of clinical privileges to perform
professional duties (initial privileges are based upon training, experience, demonstrated
competence, and certifying examinations).
h. Accreditation. "Accreditation" indicates certification of compliance to
standards established for the operation of a medical treatment facility (MTF) by the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals.
3-5.
DEFINING QUALITY MEDICAL CARE
a. Definition of "Quality Medical Care." Avedis Donabedian developed a broad
and widely accepted definition of "good" medical care in 1969. According to this
definition, quality of care relates to the practice of rational medicine based on medical
science. It:
(1) emphasizes prevention and education.
MD0754
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