Quality assurance to continuous quality improvement: development of an emergency department system

The development of a contemporary Continuous Quality Improvement (CQT) program for an emergency department is described. The evolution of such an initiative is not complex, but requires organisational commitment and leadership. As the focus within emergency departments becomes increasingly patient and process oriented the CQI model for quality management will become a standard managerial expectation. We aim to present a practical description of our system which may be of use as a template for other emergency departments.