Measuring Quality Performance in Healthcare; the effect of Joint Commissioning International Standards on Quality Performance

Quality improvement in healthcare continues to attract considerable attention. This is related to the escalating costs of service provision as well as to growing concerns about patient safety. As a consequence considerable efforts as well as costs are being devoted to develop and implement quality initiatives. The issue of choice of quality framework and the extent to which such approaches are subjected to systematic assessment in order to demonstrate measurable impact and outcomes are important considerations.

In this timely book Dr. Dia Hassan and Professor Gopal Kanji have provided a robust methodology for measuring quality performance of healthcare organisations. Specifically the book is based on one of the first empirical study to have focused on the use of Joint Commission International [JCI] Standards at improving the quality of care. The approach adopted used a holistic performance measurement model to measure the effect of the newly developed JCI Standards on the perceived quality performance and the progress toward organisational excellence in a health care organisation.

The book provides detailed and informative accounts on:

• Health care quality improvement approaches
• Issues relating to performance measurement
• A research method for assessing performance measurement
• A results section accounting on the impact of the JCI Standards on quality improvement, stakeholder assessments as well as on strengths and limitations of JCI standards
• Issues supporting evidence based health care.