Clinical governance: an instrument for bringing quality and efficiency together?

The aim of this paper is to analyse the issue of clinical governance, exploring the potential of this program as an instrument for overcoming the gap between the intentions of the political body and the actual results of the reforms. The main questions that can be addressed are related to enquiring whether clinical governance can bridge the traditional difficulties of communication between clinicians and hospital administrators, enhancing the dialogue among them and helping to create a collaborative clinical and financial decision making process. Is this latest invention of the government a rhetorical change or an effective action? © 2002 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.