Medical care evaluation: an old new idea.

The recent implementation of medical care evaluation (medical audit) systems in the nation's hospitals is a phenomenon of major consequence. The systematic measurement of the quality of patient care based on outcome data is becoming a part of the delivery of that care. Sixty years ago Dr. E. A. Codman developed and crusaded for a similar idea that seemed at one point to be on the threshold of widespread acceptance in U. S. hospitals, but for reasons other than lack of conceptual soundness the effort failed. In this article the author reviews the history of this early approach to the evaluation of patient care quality and suggests some lessons this historical episode holds for today's health care professionals.