TY - JOUR AB - Describes the experiences of several public hospitals which have implemented quality methods and management and lists some of the lessons they learned that could be usefully adopted by other services. Asks: how do you introduce a quality programme into an organization whose employees are already empowered, and who view themselves as the sole arbiters of quality? Is a quality programme doomed if the preconditions proposed by the “quality gurus” are absent ‐ such as top management commitment and constancy of purpose? Which type of quality programme is feasible when there is no time and money for quality investment, and customer satisfaction is only one of the many determinants of organizational survival in a political environment? Concludes that generally, the hospitals which had a greater success found ways to involve different professions and adapted the methods to their particular circumstances. VL - 8 IS - 3 SN - 0956-4233 DO - 10.1108/09564239710185415 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/09564239710185415 AU - Øvretveit John PY - 1997 Y1 - 1997/01/01 TI - A comparison of hospital quality programmes: lessons for other services T2 - International Journal of Service Industry Management PB - MCB UP Ltd SP - 220 EP - 235 Y2 - 2024/05/05 ER -