What does clinical governance refer to?

Clinical governance is a systematic approach to maintaining and improving the quality of patient care within healthcare systems. This concept encompasses various processes and practices designed to ensure that health services deliver high-quality care safely and effectively. It integrates various components such as clinical effectiveness, risk management, patient safety, and patient involvement to foster an environment where healthcare professionals strive for continuous improvement in service quality.

By focusing on improving clinical outcomes and enhancing patient safety, clinical governance supports health organizations in providing evidence-based practices, monitoring their services, and promoting accountability among staff. This leads to better patient experiences and outcomes, ultimately elevating the standard of care delivered.

While options like reducing healthcare costs or creating partnerships between patients and providers may be important in healthcare settings, they do not encapsulate the essence of clinical governance as effectively as maintaining and improving the quality of patient care. Similarly, a regulatory compliance framework, while related to aspects of governance, does not capture the comprehensive and continuous quality improvement aspect inherent in clinical governance.