Which of the following is a force for future change in healthcare service delivery?

Rationale:

A. Indicates higher performance and better clinical and health outcomes: Quality in patient care refers to the degree to which healthcare services improve patient outcomes, prevent harm, and achieve desired clinical results. It encompasses aspects such as effectiveness, safety, timeliness, efficiency, equity, and patient-centeredness.

B. Medical practice guidelines: While medical practice guidelines are important tools for guiding clinical decision-making, they are not synonymous with quality in patient care, which involves broader considerations of performance and outcomes.

C. Constitute a plan for managing a clinical problem based on evidence: This describes evidence- based practice, which is an important aspect of delivering high-quality care but does not encompass the entirety of quality in patient care.

D. Provide protocols to guide physicians' clinical decisions: Clinical protocols and guidelines can help standardize care and improve consistency, but they are not the sole determinant of quality in patient care, which encompasses broader dimensions of performance and outcomes.

Rationale:

A. Right to make an informed choice regarding medical treatment, including the right to refuse

treatment: Informed consent refers to the ethical and legal principle that ensures patients have the right to make informed decisions about their medical care, including the risks, benefits, and

alternatives to treatment. It requires healthcare providers to provide patients with relevant information to enable them to make decisions consistent with their preferences and values.

B. Allows a hospital to participate in Medicare and Medicaid: This option describes a hospital's eligibility to participate in government healthcare programs and is not related to informed consent.

C. Value-based care that needs to go beyond the assessment of safety and effectiveness: This option describes the concept of value-based care, which emphasizes improving patient outcomes and experiences while controlling costs. It is not directly related to informed consent.

D. Differences of opinion on what constitutes extraordinary or heroic measures to sustain a person's life: This describes ethical considerations in end-of-life care and is not specifically related to the concept of informed consent.