Quality Management in ART Clinics

In the last decades, major advances have been made in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and the public demand for these procedures has increased globally. All ART clinics, from those just starting out to the well established, must employ the latest equipment and implement the best practices, while ensuring that their resources are effectively engaged to optimize patient outcomes. This is a tenet of the fiduciary role of physicians and it is increasingly recognized as a quantifiable goal regulated by formal certifications and accreditations. Quality management protocols such as those proposed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are being rapidly adopted as standards of measure.

Quality Management in ART Clinics: A Practical Guide provides easily adoptable ways to implement and improve formalized quality management systems. Essential to any clinic to achieve best practices and maintenance of formal regulatory certifications, this book brings together the know-how of experienced opinion leaders operating in key areas worldwide. The book offers an overview of primary regulations in the ART field, with attention to quality management demands, and links specific requirements to practical steps for implementation. Filled with process and procedure examples, flow diagrams and administrative form templates, this book is the first of its kind, gathering the necessary elements for optimizing practice, management, and quality assurance.

Reproductive Laboratories.- Quality Management Systems.- Where to Start.- Defining Processes and Procedures.- Training Personnel.- How to Get Information.- Defining What Reproductive Laboratories Do.- Explaining How Reproductive Laboratories Work.- Ensuring that Reproductive Laboratories Provide High-Quality Services.- Singapore.- India.- South Africa: A laboratory perspective on quality control.- Nigeria: Experience with Quality Management and IVF in a Developing Country.- Gulf Countries.- United States of America.- Chile.- Brazil.- Belgium: ISO 9001:2000 certification as a base for total quality management in ART.- The Netherlands.- Australia: QMS in IVF Centres.