What is the primary purpose of peer review in healthcare?

The primary purpose of peer review in healthcare is to promote professionalism and maintain trust within the medical community. Peer review serves as a critical process through which healthcare professionals assess one another's performance, providing constructive feedback on clinical practices and decisions. This practice fosters an environment of accountability and continuous improvement, which is essential in maintaining high standards of care. By ensuring that peers evaluate each other's work, the medical community can uphold ethical standards, encourage adherence to best practices, and ultimately enhance patient safety and quality of care.

While reducing medical errors and evaluating medical equipment or procedures are important goals in healthcare, they are secondary outcomes of a robust peer review process that centers on professionalism and trust. Competitive practices among physicians, although relevant in some contexts, do not align with the foundational purpose of peer review, which is collaborative rather than competitive.