Quality assurance measures in interventional radiology.

The quality assurance of treatment measures is legally required but as yet not generally established in practice. For interventional radiology, the in troduction of quality assurance for PTA of arteries of the lower limbs is p lanned for January 1999. It is reasonable to subject at least the most impo rtant and/or most frequently performed interventions to quality management. In the present article, the term quality in the management of diseases is defined and the system of total quality management discussed at the levels structure, process, and results. For its application, parameters of quality measurement in the form of standards, criteria, and characteristic Values are necessary and must be laid down by a team of experts on the basis of su bjective experience and/or results in the literature. Practical quality ass urance takes place not only within a clinic but also externally by comparis on with other centers. Data collection and evaluation requires high-perform ance software that will be continuously improved, expanded, and adapted to current needs during regular meetings between the various users.