Quality of Nursing Care

The word quality is used every day everywhere in our lives and also in health care professionals work field. There are very general definitions which state that quality is a characteristic of things and phenomena and also more precise general and narrow professional definitions. With regard to nursing quality many authors cite Donabedian, who asserts that quality is the harmony between actual nursing and the criteria prescribed beforehand. The quality of nursing is the level of excellence. Quality assurance is merely a process that incorporates the systematic description, measurement, evaluation and, when necessary, implementation of measures to improve quality. Every organization that assumes responsibility for monitoring and promoting the quality of its work chooses a quality assurance programme. It is not possible to measure quality of care unless it has been accurately described in measurable terms. One of the ways to do this is by setting standards and clinical pathways