Clinical Governance: An International Journal: Volume 8 Issue 4

Accountability and responsibility: clinical governance beyond the institution

Mark R. Baker

The principal focus of clinical governance is intended to be at the level of the statutory organisation such as a Health Authority, Primary Care Trust or NHS Trust. This paper…

Using benchmarking data for assessing performance in occupational therapy

Pam Enderby, Alexandra John, Anthony Hughes, Brian Petheram

Comparing outcome data derived from patients receiving treatment in different sites can identify different practice worthy of further examination. This paper illustrates an…

Responding to variations in mortality due to intrapartum asphyxia

S.C. Thomas, Z.E.S. Guildea, J.H. Stewart, P.H.T. Cartlidge

The mortality rate due to intrapartum asphyxia is generally considered a good guide to the quality of perinatal care. Using a routine system of surveillance, we identified a…

Ischaemic heart disease guidelines and cardiac medications use in veterans administration hospitals

Britta I. Neugaard, Robert G. Zoble, Jason W. Beckstead, Audrey L. Nelson

This study was designed to determine if health care provider utilization of cardiac medications has been influenced by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ischemic heart…

Using practical outcomes to measure clinical performance in the children’s asthma clinic

Victoria Alexander, Simon Ogston, Carolyn Booker, Linda Irvine, Somnath Mukhopadhyay

This paper investigates clinical outcomes of children with asthma treated in a hospital clinic and thus develop a method for the monitoring of clinical performance. Prospective…

Practice guidelines and clinical governance: do the means match with the ends? A quality appraisal of local practice guidelines

Elena Berti, Roberto Grilli

The quality of 39 guidelines developed locally was assessed, using a standardised instrument addressing five quality domains (scope and purpose, stakeholders involvement, rigour…

Inside self‐regulation: peer review (visitatie) by Dutch medical specialists

M.J.M.H. (Kiki) Lombarts, N.S. (Niek) Klazinga

To deepen our insight into the Dutch system of visitatie, a doctors‐led and ‐owned external peer review mechanism through site visits, a process evaluation was performed. The…

Attitudes to and experiences of reporting poor care

Jenny Firth‐Cozens, Robert A. Firth, Sue Booth

Surveys in the UK and USA show that error in health care is unacceptably high. It is also known, however, that considerable under‐reporting of error takes place and we need…

The Denver Connection (Porter‐Swedish) experiment revisited

David Birnbaum, Carol Petersen

The so‐called Denver connection should be today’s shining example of how to achieve health care quality and safety improvement through lasting evidence‐based collaborations led by…

Funding primary care in the United States

Mary Nettleman, Leanne Yanni

In the USA, primary care is usually defined as comprehensive or coordinated care that is delivered by physicians practicing general internal medicine, family practice, or…

Copying letters to patients: using clinical risk management to minimise problems

Jane Cowan

From April 2004 doctors’ letters will be copied to patients. This article examines the potential benefits and pitfalls of the initiative. The issues are discussed from both the…