Quality in health care: outcomes

The clinical anaesthesiologist has an important role in achieving quality in healthcare outcomes. Exploration of the definitions and frameworks for understanding health, healthcare, quality, and outcomes highlights the different perspectives of the key stakeholders. The common desired quality in healthcare outcome is to improve the existing health system. This requires measuring and managing performance in a cycle and understanding the systemsʹ approach to health. The clinical anaesthesiologist is able to contribute at each of the different stages of their career from trainee to respected clinical leader. Ideally the contributions should be through a continuous, strategic, voluntary and pro-active approach using existing tools to analyse the current clinical service to determine how to reach the ideal. Apart from professional pride, the escalating costs of healthcare and the need for accountability to our profession and the public are compelling reasons to contribute towards improving quality healthcare outcomes.