Background:
The purpose of implementing a system such as Clinical Governance (CG) is to integrate, establish
and globalize distinct policies in order to improve quality through increasing professional knowledge and the
accountability of
healthcare professional toward providing clinical excellence. Since CG is related to change, and
change requires money and time, CG implementation has to be focused on priority areas that are in more dire
need of change. The purpose of the present study was to validate and determine the significance of items used for
evaluating CG implementation.
Methods:
The present study was descriptive-quantitative in method and design. Items used for evaluating CG
implementation were first validated by the Delphi method and then compared with one another and ranked based
on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) model.
Results:
The items that were validated for evaluating CG implementation in Iran include performance evaluation,
training and development, personnel motivation, clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, risk management, resource
allocation, policies and strategies, external audit, information system management, research and development,
CG structure, implementation prerequisites, the management of patients’ non-medical needs, complaints and
patients’ participation in the treatment process. The most important items based on their degree of significance
were training and development, performance evaluation, and risk management. The least important items
included the management of patients’ non-medical needs, patients’ participation in the treatment process and
research and development.
Conclusion:
The fundamental requirements of CG implementation included having an effective policy at national
level, avoiding perfectionism, using the expertise and potentials of the entire country and the coordination of this
model with other models of quality improvement such as accreditation and patient safet