CEN/TC 362 - Project Committee - Healthcare services - Quality management systems

This European Standard specifies requirements for a quality management system when a healthcare organization:
a)   needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide healthcare product or service that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and
b)   aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer requirements, applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and requirements related to the quality characteristics; appropriate, correct care; availability; continuity of care; effectiveness; efficiency; equity; evidence/knowledge based care; patient centred care including physical, psychological and social integrity; patient involvement; patient safety and timelines/accessibility.
NOTE 1   Statutory and regulatory requirements can be expressed as legal requirements.
Requirements related to material outputs such as tissue, blood products, pharmaceuticals, cell culture products and medical devices have not been focused in the scope of this standard as they are regulated elsewhere.
This standard is focused on requirements for clinical processes. Organizations that also include research or education processes, or both in their quality management system could use the requirements in this standard where applicable.
This standard aims to adjust and specify the requirements, as well as the “product and service” concept and customer perspectives in EN ISO 9001:2015 to the specific conditions for healthcare providing mainly services and where customers are mainly patients.

This International Standard provides guidelines beyond the requirements given in ISO 9001 in order to consider both the effectiveness and efficiency of a quality management system, and consequently the potential for improvement of the performance of an organization. When compared to ISO 9001, the objectives of customer satisfaction and product quality are extended to include the satisfaction of interested parties and the performance of the organization.
This International Standard is applicable to the processes of the organization and consequently the quality management principles on which it is based can be deployed throughout the organization. The focus of this International Standard is the achievement of ongoing improvement, measured through the satisfaction of customers and other interested parties.
This International Standard consists of guidance and recommendations and is not intended for certification, regulatory or contractual use, nor as a guide to the implementation of ISO 9001.
This Technical Report provides assistance on how the EN ISO 9004:2000 guidelines may be applied to health services, without prescribing the activities that need to be done by the health service provider; the latter should use its own professional knowledge and/or follow guidelines and protocols established by relevant professional bodies.
Even though EN ISO 9004:2000 promotes a better understanding of the EN ISO 9001:2000 requirements, its scope goes further than that. It is a technical document for managers and process owners to monitor and improve organisation performance, minimise risks, reduce costs, satisfy customers and improve competitiveness.
To fulfil the requirements of processes that have impact on patient safety this Technical Report provides an approach for improvement of risk management in the organisation.
An important value of EN ISO 9004:2000 is that it can be used for self-assessment (see Annex A) comparing the performance of the organisation with the 290 in

1.1   General
This European standard specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization:
a)   needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide health care services that meet requirements from customers as well as applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and professional standards
b)   aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including continual improvement of the management system, the clinical processes and the assurance of conformity to requirements related to the quality characteristics ; appropriate, correct care; availability; continuity of care; effectiveness; efficiency; equity; evidence/knowledge based care; patient centred care including physical and psychological integrity; patient involvement; patient safety and timelines/accessibility.
Material products such as tissue, blood products, pharmaceuticals, cell culture products and medical devices have not been focused in the scope of the standard as they are regulated elsewhere.
This European Standard is focused on requirements for clinical processes. Organizations that also include research or education processes, or both in their quality management system could use the requirements in this European Standard where applicable.
This European Standard aims to adjust and specify the requirements, as well as the “product” concept and customer perspectives in EN ISO 9001:2008 to the specific conditions for health care where products are mainly services and customers are mainly patients.
The focus of this European Standard is the clinical processes and their risk management in order to promote good quality health care.
1.2   Application
This European Standard
a)    gives requirements for systematic approaches for the organization’s ability to produce good quality health care.
b)    can be used by management at all levels in the health care organization to implement and maintain a quality management system or by internal and external parties, including certification bodies, to assess the organization’s ability to meet patients’ needs and expectations as well those from other customers.
c)    is applicable to health care organizations, regardless of structure, organization, owner, size or type of health care services provided.
d)   is applicable to e.g. primary health care, pre-hospital and hospital care, tertiary care, nursing homes, hospices, preventive health care, mental health services, dental services, physiotherapy, occupational health services and pharmacies.
e)   is focused on requirements for clinical processes. Organizations that also include research or education processes, in the scope of their quality management system could use the requirements in this standard where applicable.
Where any requirement(s) of this European Standard cannot be applied due to the nature of a health care organization and its product (including services), this can be considered for exclusion.
Where exclusions are made, claims of conformity to this European Standard are not acceptable unless these exclusions are limited to requirements within Clause 7, and such exclusions do not affect the health care organization’s ability, or responsibility, to provide products (including services) that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

A quality management system is a management system to direct and control an organisation with regard to quality (ISO 9000:2000).
The guide is generally applicable to the health services sector and will complement national legislation. Furthermore other national requirements, sector specific requirements and standards may complement the guide or be used in parallel.
The main target groups for this guide are strategic decision-makers at all levels in the health services sector and all staff who are involved in the development, implementation and assessment of a quality management system in a health care organisation, including the stakeholders.  
This guide is generally applicable to all health care organisations regardless of structure, organisation, owner, size, type of service provided, locally used approaches or location.  When using and adapting this guide every organisation needs to consider the nature, culture, complexity, legislation, regulation, etc. of their organisation and further specify their own requirements and use complementary national and local information.  
The guide also applies to the requirements of patient organisations, owners, users, insurers, inspectorates and to relevant legislation.  In this manner the guide provides a basis for national requirements on health services, e.g. Provisions and Recommendations, for purchasers of health services, for contracts and agreements, and for supervision, audit, certification and accreditation in the health services sector.