This paper is intended to stimulate discussion on the issue of health service delivery. It will examine some of the underlying characteristics of services and review them from a health service perspective. It will then explore the nature and implications of health service failure. Key findings from a recent Australian study of practice in open disclosure in public hospitals will be reviewed for the purpose of discussing the implications of the impact of service failure in a health care setting. The paper then goes on to explore the process and nature of health service delivery in terms of potential shortcomings and flaws with its implication for service quality. To assist in the analysis of this topic and to begin the debate on potential solutions, a matrix table is developed to highlight the key areas of health service failure, suggest possible causes, and then go on to suggest prescriptive measures to help manage the risks involved in the health service delivery process.
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