Quality: assurance or standards?

ABSTRACT

Public and professional concern for issues of safety and quality in clinical practice has moved the focus of attention from participation in programs of Continuing Medical Education [CME] or Continuing Professional Development [CPD] to measures of competence or performance in practice. The debate about quality has reached an important position it is no longer a matter of demonstrating involvement in 'Quality Assurance' activities or the definition of 'Standards', but rather one of recognizing the necessity of developing approaches that contribute significantly to the 'Assurance of Quality and Standards'. This report describes an activity designed to progress this topic through discussion and clarification of the key issues that need to be addressed in assessing the performance of practitioners in their clinical settings