Organizational Control of Hospital Infrastructure Determines the Quality of Care

Abstract

Hospital personnel and their performance un derlie all hospital facilities and patient services (the hospital infrastructure). Hence, quality pa tient care is not exclusively in the domain of the medical staff and must be regarded as a compre hensive responsibility of the hospital. Hospitals must establish behavioral quality systems and teach employees not only how to do their job well to meet technical quality standards, but also how to fulfill patient expectations. Critical and life threatening problems are thereon pre vented or minimized, and protection of physi cians and hospitals from litigation improves as a result. Governing boards must provide a role model and demand excellence of everyone, in order to improve the performance of the hospital infrastructure.