[Quality and accreditation of emergency departments].

The concept of quality has been linked to the health care world since the remote past and is one of the strategic elements on which the transformation and improvement of modern health systems is based. Study of quality in health care involves different approaches given that it holds different meanings for patients, professionals and managers. In recent years formal systems of quality management have been progressively introduced, such as certification according to the ISO-9000 Norms, the system of accreditation of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the European Model of Excellence (EFQM).