ABCs of quality assurance.

The following six points offer a summary of principles to the manager who must develop a QA program: Institutional commitment to the QA process is essential for success. This must be embodied in the table of organization for QA and the commitment of resources to the task. The QA plan should address mechanisms for data collection, data review, and outcome reporting. Lines of responsibility should be stated clearly. The manner in which the outcomes of the QA process are implemented and communicated back to the front-line workers must be clearly stated and continually fed back to them. Clinical evaluations work best in the presence of politically neutral practice guidelines. Vociferous complainers frequently can be made part of the process, harnessing their energy to good effect. Self survey should precede an accreditation site visit by at least 6 months. The best sources of JCAHO thinking on QA methods are the many JCAHO publications, several of which focus on the critical care arena.