Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Univ., 2002. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

ABSTRACT Aim: To assess the overall quality of child health services provided at primary health care facilities in the Johannesburg metropolitan area. Objectives: Primary Objective To evaluate the quality of clinical care provided by health care workers caring for children; including an assessment of the treatment of common childhood illnesses, counselling and health promotion. Secondary Objectives 1. To assess the quality of well baby services such as immunisation, growth promotion and developmental monitoring. 2. To assess the availability of drug supplies and equipment. 3. To assess the quality of record keeping. 4. To describe the infrastructure available at health facilities and the availability of services provided to children, including appropriate referral services. Design: This was a cross-sectional, observational study over a two-month period conducted at 16 primary health care facilities in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area; four community health centres (CHC) and 12 primary health care (PHC) clinics. A researcher-developed structured checklist, based on national guidelines and protocols was utilised. Results: A total of 141 sick child and 149 well child visits were observed. Caregivers experienced long waiting hours (mean [SD] of 135±72 minutes). Many routine examination procedures were poorly performed, with an appropriate diagnosis established in only 77% of consultations. Almost half of the children (46%) received antibiotics; their use was unwarranted in one-third of instances. Health promotion activities (such as growth monitoring) were consistently ignored during sick child visits. The mother or sick child’s HIV status was seldom considered or investigated. At least a third of children requiring cotrimoxazole prophylaxis were not prescribed the antibiotic. Growth promotion and nutritional counselling at well child visits was generally inadequate with not one of 11 children requiring food supplementation receiving it. The majority of facilities were adequately equipped and well-stocked with drugs. A lack of capacity to manage children with chronic conditions (such as asthma), mental health problems and disabilities exists. Conclusion: The poor quality of care offered to children in the richest city in Africa is a sad indictment of the inability of health service providers in the city to meaningfully address children’s health needs. Nothing short of a deliberate and radical overhaul in the way that health care is organised for children, with clearly defined and monitored standard clinical practice routines, is likely to significantly change the status quo.

Aim of the study. To evaluate possibilities to implement the program of health care quality assurance in health care institutions from the physicians’ point of view. 58.4 percent of respondents are aware with the program of health care quality assurance. 71.2 percent of those who are aware with the program believe in health care quality improvement when the program will be implemented. 41.5 percent of respondents maintain that program will be implemented under condition of proper financing while 20.8 percent assert that program will not be implemented. 65.4 percent of physicians evaluate quality of care in their institution as good and 33.7 percent as satisfactory. According the opinion of the respondents’ quality of care could be improved with teamwork and good qualification of the physicians, a half of respondents maintain that the main obstacle for better examination of the patients is insufficient financing. Almost one third of physicians state that information about safety of health care is insufficient. 44.6 percent of respondents are not satisfied with their work, and 85.1 percent affirm that quality of care is influenced with satisfaction with work, 93.1 percent maintain that quality of care is influenced with workload, 43.6 percent relate their quality of work with payment. The major part of physicians assesses their knowledge about quality management as satisfactory and would like to improve in that area. 83.6 percent of physicians state that proper financing is... [to full text]