Quality in preventive and health-promoting services: constructing an understanding through process.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a model of service quality for health-promoting services. In assessing quality, there are difficulties in taking account of the views of multiple stakeholders, the process of the service and the organizational context within which the service is provided. This study set out to address these difficulties.


METHODS
A collective case study that incorporated national data from public health nurses (n = 946; response rate 54%) and public health nurse managers (n = 24; response rate 75%) and four case study sites which included data collected from 27 mothers with infants.


RESULTS
A model of service quality that takes account of multiple stakeholder constructions, organizational context, service process and consequences was developed.


CONCLUSIONS
Seven steps of process coupled with five concepts around which quality is judged can provide a basis for understanding service quality in a predominantly preventive and health-promoting type service.
Hanafin
Sinéad
S
Office of the Minister for Children, Dublin, Ireland. hanafins@gofree.indigo.ie
Cowley
Sarah
S
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007494:Ireland; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D016294:Models, Nursing; D017146:Models, Organizational; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009736:Nursing Process / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires