Table 1 The Institute of Medicine framework of healthcare quality
Safety | Avoiding injuries to patients from the care that is intended to help them |
Effective | Providing services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refraining from providing services to those not likely to benefit |
Patient-centered | Providing care that is respectful and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values |
Timely | Reducing waits and sometimes harmful delays for both those who receive and those who give care |
Efficient | Avoiding waste, including waste of equipment, supplies, ideas, and energy |
Equitable | Providing care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status |