Notes on Quality of Health Care

Importance of Health Care Quality

• Access to health care is essential, but treatment does not guarantee improvement.
• Poor quality care leads to adverse outcomes:
  • More deaths worldwide due to poor quality care than lack of access.
  • 15% of deaths in low- and middle-income countries are linked to poor quality care.
  • In high-income countries, 1 in 10 patients experience harm during hospital care.

Characteristics of Quality Care

To ensure health services improve health, care must be:

• Effective: Accurate diagnoses and effective treatments.
• Safe: Care that does not cause harm to patients.
• People-Centered: Tailoring care to individual needs with compassion.
• Timely: Providing care when needed.
• Equitable: Ensuring all people receive necessary health care.
• Integrated: Collaboration among health workers and facilities to enhance care.
• Efficient: Optimal use of resources to improve health and minimize waste.

WHO's Role and Calls to Action

• The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes the need for action on health care quality.
• WHO collaborates with countries to develop policies ensuring:
  • Appropriate infrastructure for health services.
  • Well-trained health workers with adequate resources and support.
• Encourages governments and health organizations to:
  • Listen to communities.
  • Innovate in collaboration and learning from experiences.

Focus Areas for Improvement

• WHO supports early action in critical areas such as:
  • Maternal and child health.
  • Patient safety.
  • Infection prevention and control.
  • Water, sanitation, and hygiene.
• Special emphasis on fragile and conflict-affected settings due to urgent healthcare needs.

Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals

• WHO aligns efforts with Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting that:
  • Quality is integral to universal health coverage.
• As noted by the WHO Director General:
  • "Quality is not a given. It requires vision, planning, investments, compassion, meticulous execution, and rigorous monitoring at all levels."