The International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) was originally founded in 1985 to provide a forum for a collaborative international approach to improving quality in health care. Through its members, ISQua seeks to enhance the quality and performance of health services with a focus on the methodologies needed to facilitate these. ISQua achieves this mission as a not-for-profit and independent society via a range of activities, services and benefits to members and others. Today, ISQua has members in sixty countries in all regions of the world. As part of its program, ISQua hosts an international conference on quality in health care in a different city in the world each year. This year's conference is scheduled in Buenos Aires in October 2001. The Indicator Summit, a two-day pre-conference to ISQua's 2001 annual conference in October in Buenos Aires, is designed to be a multinational 'think tank' on emerging issues in clinical indicators for government health policy leaders, senior service providers, clinicians, researchers, and funding organizations. This cross-section will provide a unique opportunity for liaison and the development of ideas. The Indicator Summit will explore Policy and Implementation issues related to possible set of International Indicators for Patient Protection. Medication safety will also be addressed. National and international interest in indicators for patient safety, fueled by an increase in information about medical error, is rising. Different nations, and groups within nations have varied perspectives on how best to implement a higher standard of patient safety. Now there is a developing body of knowledge and the way to provide for concerted effort most likely to benefit patients is to discuss similarities and differences in approach across nations in the formative period of this effort. The ISQua International Indicator Summit will have the potential to take a significant step forward in determining what may be feasible at the international level.
