Professionalism and Evolving Concepts of Quality
Date
2007-1-9
Authors
Katz, Jeffrey N.
Kessler, Courtenay L.
O'Connell, Andrew
Levine, Sharon A.
Version
OA Version
Citation
Katz, Jeffrey N., Courtenay L. Kessler, Andrew O'Connell, Sharon A. Levine. "Professionalism and Evolving Concepts of Quality" Journal of General Internal Medicine 22(1): 137-139. (2007)
Abstract
For much of the twentieth century, quality of care was defined specifically in terms of physician characteristics and behaviors. High-quality physicians were well trained, knowledgeable, skillful, and compassionate. More recently, quality of care has been defined in terms of systems of care. High-quality organizations develop and adopt practices to reduce adverse events and optimize outcomes. This essay discusses this transformation from physician-based to organization-based concepts of quality and the consequences for patient care and medical professionalism.
Description
License
Copyright Society of General Internal Medicine 2007