ABSTRACT
In the past decades, safety and quality assurance have become more and more important issues on the agenda of hospital and departmental management for the following reasons: the patient wants more transparency about the performance of health organizations and even of individual doctors; trust in doctors and medical care is no longer self evident; healthcare has become part of a market-driven economy and, consequently, insurance companies want to know whether they get value for money; and, nally, politicians feel accountable to their voters and the population for optimal and best available care for those who need it. All of this has increased the responsibility of department heads in an area that they are not trained for. Heads of departments are chosen because they are good or excellent physicians or other healthcare professionals, not because they are excellent safety and quality managers.
