Quality assurance and the AIDS patient.

Use of this audit tool has been demonstrated to be effective in evaluating the quality of home care for patients with AIDS. It has been effective in identifying home visiting staff's strengths and weaknesses in their provision of care. The information obtained from the audit will identify areas for staff development, which will provide direction for management in meeting the educational and training needs of its home visiting staff. Knowledgeable and competent staff provide the fundamental basis for assuring that a safe and efficient level of quality care is provided. Standard criteria that measure staff performance provide feedback on the types of resources that may be required for AIDS patients. This has implications for future planning of services to a population of patients that is expected to increase. Finally, having an evaluation tool with standard criteria will provide some insight on the level of staff's adherence to the agency's written policies and procedures, which is equally important when evaluating the level of quality care.