MEDICAL GOVERNANCE

Introduction

Systematic approach of patient health care maintenance in clinical system is referred as clinical governance. United Kingdom National Health Service explains clinical governance as conceptual framework which strives to continuously improve the quality of health care by which clinical care will thrive. Clinical governance was widely used after Bristol Babies Scandal in the year 1995. The clinical governance definition given by United Kingdom National Health Service considers the following attributes.

• Responsibility and accountability
• High standards of care
• Constant dynamic of improvement

Clinical governance is in parallel with corporate governance in order to explain the system structure, quality assurance, proper management and service delivery. It is      more applicable for social care and health care organization. These organizations are in correlation with delivery of care to individuals. Concept called integrated governance is developed by combining corporate governance and clinical governance of healthcare organization. It is responsibility of clinical profession to provide quality health care. It is characterized by the quality discharged. Only trust board level has mandatory chance of delivering structure, system, process and quality care. Each and every trust should submit an Annual review report on maintenance and quality care of clinical governance. Somehow clinical governance has to be correlated to system, structure, responsibility and role of trust board and clinical professions.

Clinical governance elements

Clinical governance comprises following elements.

• Clinical audit
• Openness
• Education and training
• Risk management
• Clinical effectiveness
• Research and development

Clinical audit: Clinical audit is sort of performance review of clinic. By proper assessment it improves the quality of clinical care. Primary care clinical audit is a part of clinical governance.

Openness: Clinical profession process which is open to public hearing shall ensure quality assurance to individual. It is incorporated in conceptual framework. It involves the cooperation of public, health authority, organization and councils.

Education and training: It is not requirement as the education and training becomes outdated by the time of completion. However continuous education shall update the clinical profession about the world of clinical medicine.

Risk management: It may either risk to patient, organization or practitioners. Clinical risk can be avoided by improving the quality assurance to individual. For which medical ethical standards play a major role.

Clinical effectiveness: This effectiveness measurement of clinic is intervention work. Clinical practice shall give evidence of effective measuring in addition to safety aspects.

Research and development: Good clinical practice shall improve research area. For which critical appraisal, implement strategies and project management techniques are used in research practice.

Questions:

• Why clinical governance?
• What are the key features of clinical governance?
• How do you monitor clinical governance performance?
• Which responsibility sets the standards for care?
• Will clinical governance improve the quality of patient life?
• What are the future plans of clinical governance?