Client-centred standards: risk implications for boards and management.

The author argues that the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation standards have acquired the status of law and that, therefore, there may be an increased risk of legal liability inherent in the use of the council's new client-centred standards. As survey teams focus less on structure and more on the individual client, the potential for instances of substandard care to be uncovered and documented as part of the survey process escalates.