The COMPAQH project: Researches on quality indicators in hospitals

After three years, the coordination de la mesure de la performance pour l' amelioration de la quality hospitaliere (COMPAQH) project can deliver its first findings and consider new perspectives of development. Which indicators are diffused? Under which criteria are they assessed? Which interhospital variability is observed? How to consider their application into hospitals? Which balance can we define between internal and external use? And finally, which consideration can we give to this program of quality measurement? This article addresses these different questions, giving a state of the development of this program. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tons droits reserves.