Comparison of information: a way to improve the quality of health care.
Quality of care is a growing concern of health care providers, financers and consumers, as regards both the cost and the outcome. Uncertainty about what is appropriate health care has triggered interest in comparing the outcomes of different health care practices. This paper addresses the necessity to compare information on variations in practice, utilization and cost of health care delivery. However, for general improvements in the outcome of health care, a variety of partners, such as ministries of health, non-governmental organizations, professional societies, third party financers and consumer groups, must be actively involved. The Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO/EURO) regularly collects data from member states. Such data collection is part of the monitoring of the European regional strategy for Health for All by the year 2000. These data can and actually are being used for the purpose of comparison of achievements in accordance with the European Health for All policy in member states. In addition, other indicators, information systems and longitudinal databases are being developed in collaboration with different professions, and provider and community groups to serve as instruments for quality assurance in the European region primarily at the level of health care services. However, this approach, which has been promoted over the past decade by the Quality of Care and Technologies programme of the WHO/EURO, is gradually gaining momentum at all levels of health care as a useful tool for quality assessment and development.
Staehr Johansen
K
K
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003625:Data Collection; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D009026:Mortality; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014944:World Health Organization
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents