Quality assurance not equal to quality improvement.

The intent is not to be critical and the misconceptions are easy to understand. The verbiage related to QI and QA sound alike. Quality improvement is not an easy undertaking for any industry. Some industries have tried QI and failed, while others have tried with admirable successes (e.g., Ford, Florida Power and Light, Motorola). The undertaking of the successful programs has not been easy or painless. QI requires extensive education, change of management philosophy and re-evaluation of our organizational structure. For QA professionals this transition will not be easy or painless . We must first accept that the terminology sounds similar but that the definitions are different. We must accept that our prior processes are far from perfect and can improve. As QA professionals, we must accept that the time is here to learn and to improve. We must begin by improving those processes which we own. This effort must coincide with identification of our customers and implementing systematic mechanisms for identifying their needs and expectations. Through energy expenditure and analysis of data over time, we can improve our processes and ultimately improve the output of our efforts. Only after we have learned QI processes, practiced them through daily application, and improved them can we begin to think about applications of QI to clinical process. After we expend the energy to learn about QI and apply it daily, we will be among the informed. QA professionals must prepare for and learn to value this change. Quality improvement and its technology represents a concept which may truly improve America's healthcare.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)