scholarly journals Evaluation of a novel approach to community health care delivery in Ifanadiana District, Madagascar

Author(s):  
Bénédicte Razafinjato ◽  
Luc Rakotonirina ◽  
Jafeta Benony Andriantahina ◽  
Laura F. Cordier ◽  
Randrianambinina Andriamihaja ◽  
...  

AbstractDespite the widespread global adoption of community health (CH) systems, there are evidence gaps in how to best deliver community-based care aligned with global best practice in remote settings where access to health care is limited and community health workers (CHWs) may be the only available providers. PIVOT partnered with the Ministry of Public Health to pilot a new two-pronged approach for care delivery in rural Madagascar: one CHW provided care at a stationary CH site while 2-5 additional CHWs provided care via proactive household visits. The pilot included professionalization of the CHW workforce (i.e. recruitment, training, financial incentive) and twice monthly supervision of CHWs. We evaluated the impact of the CH pilot on utilization and quality of integrated community case management (iCCM) in the first six months of implementation (October 2019-March 2020).We compared utilization and proxy measures of quality of care (defined as adherence to the iCCM protocol for diagnosis, classification of disease severity, treatment) in the intervention commune and five comparison communes, using a quasi-experimental study design and relying on routinely collected programmatic data. Average per capita monthly under-five visits were 0.28 in the intervention commune and 0.22 in the comparison communes. In the intervention commune, 40.0% of visits were completed at the household via proactive care. CHWs completed all steps of the iCCM protocol in 77.8% of observed visits in the intervention commune (vs 49.5% in the comparison communes, p-value=<0.001). A two-pronged approach to CH delivery and professionalization of the CHW workforce increased utilization and demonstrated satisfactory quality of care. National stakeholders and program managers should evaluate program re-design at a local level prior to national or district-wide scale-up.

Author(s):  
Zemzem Shigute ◽  
Anagaw D. Mebratie ◽  
Robert Sparrow ◽  
Getnet Alemu ◽  
Arjun S. Bedi

Ethiopia’s Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) scheme was established with the objectives of enhancing access to health care, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP), mobilizing financial resources and enhancing the quality of health care. Previous analyses have shown that the scheme has enhanced health care access and led to reductions in OOP. This paper examines the impact of the scheme on health facility revenues and quality of care. This paper relies on a difference-in-differences approach applied to both panel and cross-section data. We find that CBHI-affiliated facilities experience a 111% increase in annual outpatient visits and annual revenues increase by 47%. Increased revenues are used to ameliorate drug shortages. These increases have translated into enhanced patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction increased by 11 percentage points. Despite the increase in patient volume, there is no discernible increase in waiting time to see medical professionals. These results and the relatively high levels of CBHI enrollment suggest that the Ethiopian CBHI has been able to successfully negotiate the main stumbling block—that is, the poor quality of care—which has plagued similar CBHI schemes in Sub-Saharan Africa.


AAOHN Journal ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 413-416
Author(s):  
Grace Paranzino ◽  
Eileen Lukes

The presidential candidates for the 2008 election have outlined health care proposals that will ultimately impact the health status of Americans. Highlights focus on access to health care coverage, cost containment, improvement of the quality of care, and financing. This article provides a glimpse into the inherent challenges faced and the impact that nurses can make by casting their vote in this election as consumers and providers of health care.


AAOHN Journal ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 413-416
Author(s):  
Grace Paranzino ◽  
Eileen Lukes

The presidential candidates for the 2008 election have outlined health care proposals that will ultimately impact the health status of Americans. Highlights focus on access to health care coverage, cost containment, improvement of the quality of care, and financing. This article provides a glimpse into the inherent challenges faced and the impact that nurses can make by casting their vote in this election as consumers and providers of health care.


2015 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-76
Author(s):  
Ludmiła Marcinowicz ◽  
Renata Sierżantowicz ◽  
Agnieszka Dudzik ◽  
Jolanta Sawicka-Powierza ◽  
Zbysław Grajek ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction. Patient satisfaction surveys are still popular tools for obtaining feedback on the quality of health care. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of data to indicate whether health care providers even want patients to assess the quality of care delivered. Neither it is certain whether patients are interested in participating in such surveys. Aim. To present and compare the perspectives of doctors, nurses, and patients on the validity of health care customer satisfaction surveys. Material and methods. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The questionnaires were administered to doctors, nurses and patients in three hospitals of different sizes (small, medium, and large), all in the north-east of Poland. Each sample group was given 200 questionnaires; responses were received from 95 doctors (47.5%), 190 nurses (95%), and 182 patients (91%), and included in the final analyses. Results. Most respondents (doctors - 64.2%; nurses - 61.6%; patients - 87.4%) answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you think that patients should evaluate the quality of health care?’ Analysis of data allowed to identify the following main reasons why patients should evaluate the quality of health care: 1. to enhance the quality of care; 2. to recognise patients as evaluators; 3. to motivate providers to work more efficiently; and 4. to emphasise the impact of evaluation on a core value, i.e. health. Doctors and nurses outlined reasons why they did not advocate conducting patient satisfaction surveys: satisfaction surveys are redundant; negative evaluations; unwillingness to be evaluated by patients; satisfaction surveys hamper effective work with patients; surveys are not objective; survey results are not communicated to providers. Conclusions. Patient satisfaction surveys are desirable tools for evaluating the quality of health care delivery despite the fact that they frequently raise concerns amongst providers and patients. There is, therefore, a definite need for providers to experience the benefits of measuring patient satisfaction. Another important practical implication is that patients need to be convinced that their opinions do matter and contribute to improving the quality of services.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352098147
Author(s):  
Temitope Esther Olamuyiwa ◽  
Foluke Olukemi Adeniji

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is a commonly used indicator for measuring the quality of health care. This study assessed patients’ satisfaction with the quality of care at the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) clinic in a tertiary facility. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which 379 systematically selected participants completed an interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Bivariate analysis was performed using Pearson χ2 with a P value set at ≤ .05. Results: The study found out that about half (193, 50.9%) of the respondents were satisfied with the availability of structure. Patients were not satisfied with waiting time in the medical records, account, laboratory, and pharmacy sections. Overall, 286 (75.5%) of the respondents were satisfied with the outcome of health care provided at the NHIS clinic. A statistically significant association ( P = .00) was observed between treatment outcome and patient satisfaction. Conclusion: There is a need to address structural deficiencies and time management at the clinic.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonali P. Desai ◽  
Allen Kachalia

Attention to the quality of care within the United States health care system has grown tremendously over the past decade. We have witnessed a significant change in how quality improvement and clinical performance measurement are approached. The current focus on quality and safety stems in part from the increasingly clear realization that more services and technological advancement are not automatically equivalent to high-quality care. Much of the discussion about cost and quality in health care is shifting towards the concept of value. Value is defined as health outcomes achieved per dollar spent (in other words, an assessment of the quality of care per cost). This chapter reviews the current state of quality improvement in health care and, because improvement cannot be determined without measurement, reviews several aspects of effective clinical performance measurement. Since many measures are already in place, the chapter describes some of the organizations involved in quality measurement and improvement, as well the approaches they utilize. It looks at the multiple strategies in place to improve quality, from process management to collaboration, from financial incentives to transparency, and reviews newer models of care delivery that may materialize in the near future. Tables list types of quality measures, characteristics to consider when developing a quality measure, and organizations involved in quality improvement and performance measurement. A figure shows strategies used by the federal government to spur performance measurement and quality improvement. This chapter contains 56 references.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonali P. Desai ◽  
Allen Kachalia

Attention to the quality of care within the United States health care system has grown tremendously over the past decade. We have witnessed a significant change in how quality improvement and clinical performance measurement are approached. The current focus on quality and safety stems in part from the increasingly clear realization that more services and technological advancement are not automatically equivalent to high-quality care. Much of the discussion about cost and quality in health care is shifting towards the concept of value. Value is defined as health outcomes achieved per dollar spent (in other words, an assessment of the quality of care per cost). This chapter reviews the current state of quality improvement in health care and, because improvement cannot be determined without measurement, reviews several aspects of effective clinical performance measurement. Since many measures are already in place, the chapter describes some of the organizations involved in quality measurement and improvement, as well the approaches they utilize. It looks at the multiple strategies in place to improve quality, from process management to collaboration, from financial incentives to transparency, and reviews newer models of care delivery that may materialize in the near future. Tables list types of quality measures, characteristics to consider when developing a quality measure, and organizations involved in quality improvement and performance measurement. A figure shows strategies used by the federal government to spur performance measurement and quality improvement. This chapter contains 56 references.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-4
Author(s):  
Jerry Avorn ◽  

We must not assume, as we so often have, that any problem can be solved merely by the application of more technology, and more hardware. In the case of medicine, far-reaching cultural and economic changes will have to take place before we can develop an optional health care system—changes which need have nothing whatever to do with machines or automation. A computer, or a "patient's assistant," can improve the quality of care or render it mediocre; it can be a means of freeing medical talent for larger questions, or just larger incomes; it can increase the dignity of healing or it can cheapen and degrade the experience. These are outcomes that are relatively independent of the technology itself; as we have learned so often and so painfully, it is the social uses to which we put these capabilities that are crucial. If we don't allow a blind technological imperative to squeeze all that is human out of the healing process, if we don't let lust for maximized profit margins contaminate even more of medicine, these tools may play a role in ending the crisis of health care delivery we now face. But if we choose to approach these problems as we have approached so many others in this century, even pulling out all the plugs won't help.


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