Quality and safety in NHS Scotland

If the 1990s was the decade of evidence-based medicine the following decade has seen a gradual move towards evidence-based care delivery. The translation of discovery research into actual improvements in care is a challenging transition. Quality improvement techniques developed in industry are an attempt to bridge this gap. Unprecedented improvements in the safety of air travel, oil exploration and nuclear power have occurred because of cultural change after major disasters. In contrast healthcare deals with life and death every day. The quality improvement movement has now reached healthcare. NHS Scotland has a long history of innovation in quality and safety. The most recent is the Scottish Patient Safety Programme, an initiative designed to reduce acute hospital mortality by 15% and adverse events by 30%. NHS Scotland is launching a Quality Strategy to lay the foundations for further improvements in safety, clinical effectiveness and patient centredness.