Assessing Peer Review in the Quest for Improved Medical Services: Part II

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Abstract
The first part of this article explored the flaws in the operation of peer review in two contexts: selection of articles for journal publication and decision-mak ing in the award of research grants. There it was suggested that, to the extent these flaws had adverse effects on the information available to medical prac titioners and those who conduct peer review of med ical practice, the quest for improving the quality of health services is hampered. In this part of the article, medical peer review is defined, its practitioners noted, and the distinction between medical peer re view and certain other activities and processes di rected toward improving the quality of medical per formance in hospitals illustrated.