Qa includes all planned and systematic actions necessary to
provide adequate confidence that an item, process or service will satisfy
given requirements with regard to quality. as such, it is wide ranging, covering all relevant procedures, activities and actions, and hence, all groups of staff involved in the process under consideration. a Qa programme is part of a QMs and is focused on providing confidence that the quality needs or expectations, whether stated, generally implied or obligatory, are fulfilled. a Qa programme in diagnostic radiology can be thought of as an organized effort by the staff operating a facility to perform the most appropriate examination, to produce images of sufficiently high quality and consistency, and using the lowest possible dose, to result in the correct diagnosis. the World health organization states that satisfactory performance in service implies the optimum quality of the entire process, i.e., the consistent production of adequate diagnostic information with minimum exposure of both patient and personnel. a comprehensive Qa programme should, therefore, embrace the entire process of radiology
Qc is the process through which the actual quality performance is
measured and compared with existing standards, and the actions necessary to keep or
regain conformance with the standards. it is one part of overall Qa,
intended to verify that structures, systems and components correspond to predetermined requirements. it is concerned with operational techniques and activities used: to check that quality requirements are met; to adjust and correct performance if the requirements are found not to have been met. 19.2.4. Quality standards and good practice Quality standards form a set of accepted criteria against which the quality of particular activities can be assessed. Recommendations for quality standards for diagnostic radiology have been issued by various national and international organizations such as the iaea, the World health organization and the Pan american health organization, and more specifically by other organizations, such as the european commission, the american association of Physicists in Medicine and the institute of Physics and engineering in Medicine. Where recommended standards are not available, local standards need to be developed, based on a local assessment of requirements. good practice is a practice that can be recommended on the basis of the most recent considerations of evidence based data, long term experience and knowledge gained on the necessary structure, process and outcome. Quality standards and good practice also form a basis for clinical audit and are further discussed in section 23.4