A WHO Working Group consisting of quality assurance specialists, physicians, nurses and medical educators met in 1985 to suggest a model curriculum for the training of health personnel in quality assurance. Since quality assurance activities and therefore also educational needs vary in the Member States, the Working Group focused on the broad principles of training in quality assurance. Having defined quality assurance as a problem-solving exercise, the report first looks at the general characteristics of educational objectives and their application to quality assurance curricula. It then proceeds to the identification of relevant learning experiences and description of principles of evaluation. Paying special attention to the principles of planned change, the next section describes how to introduce quality assurance into the curriculum of educational institutions for health professionals. The report finishes with recommendations for the introduction and development of training programmes to WHO, Member States, professional and licensing bodies, funding agencies and nongovernmental organizations active in the development of health manpower.