Safety and quality in intensive care.

Safety and quality in health care have become increasingly prominent themes over the last decade. “Quality assurance” measures were implemented in many areas of health care through the 1980’s, with an emphasis upon clinical audits being followed by the implementation of new or remedial actions, and subsequent measurement of the effect. However, two sentinel studies, one in the USA and one in Australia, caught the attention of clinical practitioners, the public, politicians and the lay press, who have since continued to focus upon the impact of quality on patient safety across the whole health care system.