Sustaining quality in health service delivery: strategies for reducing health service failure

This paper is intended to stimulate discussion on the issue of health service delivery. Some of the underlying characteristics of services are reviewed from a health service perspective. The nature and implications of health service failure on sustainable health care operations are discussed. Key findings from a recent Australian study of practice in open disclosure of service failure in public hospitals will be reviewed for the purpose of examining the impact of service failure in a health care setting. The paper then goes on to explore the process and nature of health service delivery in terms of potential shortcomings and flaws with its implications for service quality. To begin the debate on potential solutions, a matrix table is developed to highlight the key areas of health service failure, suggested causes, and finally go on to suggest possible prescriptive measures to help manage the risks involved in the health service delivery process