NEW! Policy brief from the USAID SQALE team
Wednesday, 03 Oct 2018
“Achieving quality does not require the implementation of very complex strategies as is commonly thought….. and does not necessarily require huge amounts of resources to implement. During the Quality Improvement training in Migori, I was able to share my experiences from Kitui, exchange ideas with other key players in community health, build networks and get a deeper understanding of quality improvement in a different context. This opportunity broadened and sharpened my knowledge and skills on quality improvement, public speaking and presentation skills. It also gave me a chance to compare the structures in the different counties….” Leonard Sharia Mbiu, QI champion, Kitui County
We are delighted to launch a new brief that provides guidance on applying a quality improvement approach within community health systems in Kenya. "How can we achieve Universal Health Coverage with quality? A quality improvement model for community health from Kenya" provides an overview of the model that USAID SQALE has used in three counties in Kenya, gives tips on implementation, and makes recommendations for policy and practice.
Key messages:
- The push for Universal Health Coverage needs to be accompanied by a focus on health service quality
- Initiatives that focus on quality within health systems tend to emphasise the facility level and are rarely applied to community health services
- Community health volunteers are a vital cadre but little attention has been paid to strengthening the quality of the services that they provide
- Communities must be engaged in the design, delivery, and ongoing assessment of health services to ensure they meet local health needs
- USAID SQALE has developed a robust model for embedding quality into community health services
- Community Health Units, supported by their counties are now successfully using robust local data to solve common health problems in their communities