Document Type
Brief
Publication Date
2003
Abstract
Quality care for clients should be the focus of a family planning and reproductive health program, but can programs afford it? There is no simple answer. The multiple dimensions of quality of care make it more difficult to identify and measure affordable improvements in service delivery. Calculating program costs is challenging, and different methods can lead to widely varying estimates. Determining how much quality costs is a challenge, but it is both possible and important for programs’ sustainability. This brief focuses on various aspects of costs and examines information about the cost of improving quality (as opposed to the cost of quality of care in general), then outlines ways to improve quality while containing costs. Ideally, decisions about quality should be the result of a dialogue among policymakers, providers, and clients. Each program has to decide what standard of quality is appropriate to apply considering its situation, its resources, and the needs of the population it is meant to serve. This policy brief uses the framework developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Maximizing Access and Quality initiative.
Recommended Citation
Raney, Laura, Stephanie Joyce, and John Townsend. 2003. "Improving the quality of reproductive health care: How much does it cost?" New Perspectives on Quality of Care Brief no. 5. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau and Population Council.
DOI
10.31899/rh2003.1015
Language
English
Project
Frontiers in Reproductive Health