Table 1.

Quality Management in Radiology - definition of commonly used terms.

Service Quality  meeting or exceeding the needs and expectations of the customer, delighting the customer and providing what he or she wants.

Quality Control  process of checking on products to see if they meet requirements e.g., acceptance testing of equipment and daily film processing parameters.

Quality Assurance  describes the introduction of, documentation and standardisation of quality systems and procedures to give radiologists and customers confidence that the services would meet their expectations. Achieved by designing processes and procedures, regularly checking, and providing feedback and certification e.g., ISO 9002, JACHO-JCI accreditation and Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA).

Quality Improvement  focuses on the processes of delivery of care and is a concept of improving quality, rather than assuring it. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) focuses on improvement of performance indicators in radiology and seeks continuous improvement of every service. CQI programs are part of Total Quality Management (TQM), which is an umbrella that covers various quality activities.