Measuring quality: how to empower staff to take control.

A vast amount of information relating to standards of patient care is collated from hospital wards, yet there is not always evidence that this information is discussed or acted upon by ward staff. Involving ward staff in setting up systems to monitor performance and then deciding how to address shortcomings uses their insights into care provision and gives them ownership over standards of care. The balanced scorecard is an effective tool for monitoring quality that can be applied to healthcare. This article discusses how to use it to develop and implement systems of measuring the quality of care.