Towards quality of care in child health programmes: a challenge for the partnership in health and social sciences.
Several child health care programmes, though often well conceived, are poorly implemented at field level and focus primarily on quantitative achievements to the neglect of quality of care. This paper presents a quality of care (QOC) framework for child health programmes from the perspectives of the management system of an organization and the provider-client interface at point of service delivery. The paper subsequently describes the application of qualitative and quantitative research tools drawn from the social sciences and health sciences for planning and evaluating quality of care. An integrated and complementary use of these tools is recommended. It is suggested that minimum standards, which are region specific, be articulated for quality maintenance in child health programmes. These standards may be upgraded as quality improves. Finally, the challenges which a partnership of the health and social sciences may have to take up are discussed. These include advocacy for prioritization of QOC in child health programmes, facilitating an environment which supports quality of care, promoting inter-disciplinary action research, training students in social science research in universities and research organizations, documenting success stories.
Department of Foods and Nutrition, M.S. University of Baroda, India.
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Kanani
D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration*