Design and implementation of a program quality assessment tool : three case studies of primary health services in developing countries
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management
Publication Date
1-1-1998
Volume
15
Issue
8/9
First Page
791
Last Page
811
Publisher
Emerald Publishing Limited
Keywords
Assessment, Design, Implementation, Methodology, Quality awareness
Abstract
The total service quality paradigm has been slow in diffusing to the health service domain, and TQM techniques are even less widely used to govern primary health services in the developing world. This interdisciplinary work analyzes the design of a TQM-based quality assessment tool (PQAT) used to evaluate quality of care in family planning programmes in Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific. It shows how family planning service quality models have failed to keep pace with advances in management theory, introduces the process theory model to overcome the limitations of the variance model, and grounds the tool in the context of quality theory. The paper goes on to report results from field use of the PQAT in three widely varying sites in the Asia Pacific region, and to draw useful conclusions for primary health researchers and practitioners.
DOI
10.1108/02656719810198953
Print ISSN
0265671X
E-ISSN
17586682
Publisher Statement
Copyright © MCB University Press
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Raghavan-Gilbert, P., Phillips, D., & Gilbert, A. L. (1998). Design and implementation of a program quality assessment tool: Three case studies of primary health services in developing countries. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 15(8/9), 791-811. doi: 10.1108/02656719810198953