In sociology, the stable, patterned features of a social system.
In quality management, a term referring to the resources and organization of the health care institution. It is commonly stated that three things can be measured in relation to quality: structure, process, and outcome. “Process” refers to the things done. “Outcome” is a somewhat vague term that presumably refers to the results of the process. In various usages “outcome” may refer to survival, quality of life, or the outcomes of tests or procedures; it must be defined in a given usage. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) originally considered only structure on the theory that “given a good nest, good birds will result.” More recently, while affirming that it is now “outcome-oriented, JCAHO has also given attention to process in its surveying of health care organizations.