November 28, 2001 - This week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) addresses the complex issue of improving the quality of medical care. Approaches include evidence-based medicine and clinical practice guidelines, professional development, assessment and accountability, patient empowerment, and total quality management. However, no one approach can solve all the problems in health care delivery and none appear to be obviously superior to others.

• "Improving the Quality of Medical Care - Building Bridges Among Professional Pride, Payer Profit, and Patient Satisfaction" - special communication from JAMA
  
  
  
• "Building Bridges to Quality" - JAMA Editorial

This article from American Medical News points out that when physicians don't follow uniform guidelines, it may be because patients aren't uniform. An excerpt:

"A recent study found a 24% noncompliance rate in the use of best practice procedures by physicians treating patients with type 2 diabetes, but researchers say this result does not represent a deficiency in care but, instead, a deficiency in the definition of what constitutes best practices."

[This message has been edited by Gary Peterson (edited 03-06-2002).]