How can quality of health care be safeguarded across the European Union?

doi:10.1136/bmj.39538.584190.47

BMJ 2008;336:920-923 (26 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39538.584190.47

Analysis

How can quality of health care be safeguarded across the European Union?

Helena Legido-Quigley, research fellow¹, Martin McKee, professor of European public health¹, Kieran Walshe, professor of health policy and management², Rosa Suñol, director³, Ellen Nolte, senior lecturer¹, Niek Klazinga, professor of social medicine⁴

¹ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, ² University of Manchester, ³ Institut Universitari Avedis Donabedian Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, CIBER Epidemilogía y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain, ⁴ Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Correspondence to: M McKee martin.mckee@lshtm.ac.uk

Can Europeans be confident about the quality of care receivedin another EU country? Helena Legido-Quigley and colleaguesdiscuss the various mechanisms at work across Europe to ensurequality and safety

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The European Union (EU) is built on the concept of free movementof goods, services, people, and capital. Laws enacted to implementand protect these freedoms impact on the healthcare sector.For example, to facilitate professional mobility, qualificationsobtained in one country are automatically recognised in others.Citizens can travel freely within Europe, reassured that theywill have access to health care should an emergency arise.¹The licensing of new drugs and medical devices is harmonisedacross Europe. But can Europe’s citizens be confidentthat any care received in another EU country will be safe andof high quality?

We discuss why healthcare professionals and patients in theEuropean Union should take an interest in this subject, andwe describe the current status of some of the elements of ahigh quality health system, who is in charge, and how thingsmight change.

Why is this becoming an issue now?

In the EU, delivery of health care . . . [Full text of this article]

Elements of a high quality health system

Approval of drugs and medical devices
Training of health professionals
Registration, licensing, and accreditation of facilities
Box 1 Examples of international quality initiatives
EFQM
EuropeanPractice Assessment
ISO
JointCommission International
Patient safety
Box 2 Patient safety initiatives
Denmark
United Kingdom
Clinical guidelines
Peer review
Box 3 Dutch visitatie model
Quality indicators
Box 4 Quality indicator initiatives
Denmark
Germany
United Kingdom

Who is driving the process?

Conclusion

Summary points
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