Purpose: Establishing a quality management (QM) system according the guidelines of DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 in an academic radiological department.
Materials and methods: To fulfill the requirements of an academic radiological department a quality management system according the guidelines of DIN EN ISO 9001 : 2000 has been established within one year. All important educational, research and patient care issues have been discussed in plenary sessions of all employees of the department twice a week. All core processes of the department have been documented as process instructions and standard operation procedures.
Results: Supported by the staff unit "quality assurance" of the university hospital, the QM system has been established during one year. Assisted by all parties of the department, obliging regulations have been established which are well accepted in the daily routine clinical work but also in research and education. The implementation of the QM system caused an additional work load. However, spreading the work load by a consequent responsibility assignment, it could be reduced effectively.
Conclusion: The implementation of a QM system within the daily routine work of an academic radiological department is feasible. It allows the installation of generally accepted rules which regulate the principal tasks of research and education, and patient care.