[The accreditation procedure: An external recognition of quality in public and private health centres in France. ]. / La rocedure d' accreditation: Une reconnaissance externe de la qualite dans les etablissements de sante publics et prives en france.

Since early 1990, the structures and financing of various health systems have been reformed. For the first time, some western Europe countries have admitted that quality insurance within the health system can become a governmental responsibility and, as in the past, simply the responsibility of the professionals and/or the health service administrators. During the last decade of the XXth century, pressure has gradually been increased for governments to become more involved in health system quality. This focus on quality was linked to human safety. In this historical perspective, the emergence of AIDS and the difficulty to control this epidemic, and the consequences of contamination by injection needles have probably played a part in this collective awareness. In this context, quality has become a major concern in Europe.