ABSTRACT
Health care quality is high on the agenda in most developed nations and many developing ones. This chapter explores some of the factors behind this activity and enumerates the key strategies deployed in pursuit of change. Michael Power has written of living in an ‘audit society’ and with the subtitle ‘rituals of verification’ one can surmise that his analysis disputes the instrumentality of the approach. Health care professionals claim special knowledge about what works in health care and consequently have always claimed rights to professional self-regulation. Public release has undoubtedly stimulated a greater intensity of effort aimed at improving the quality, quantity and meaningfulness of the data available. Central to evidence-based practice is the capacity for ongoing individual learning - not just of facts, but also of skills. Effective health care policy is that which sets an environment which encourages the emergence of self-governing organisations dedicated to clinical excellence, innovation and learning.
