In 1992, Costa Rica launched a national program to improve the quality of health care. With assistance initially provided for two years by the USAID-funded Quality Assurance Project, a cadre of staff were trained to provide training and technical assistance to all the districts and hospitals in the country. The principal technical approach was team based process improvement and problem solving that employed a step-by-step process using the tools and methods of "total quality management."
More than 200 teams have worked to achieve dramatic improvements in care. In addition, interdivisional and intersectoral teams have been formed and have achieved improvements in water supply and organic farming/nutrition. Recently the approach has been expanded to reach agreement on an "excellence model" to guide the strategic planning and operations of the entire Ministry and the Social Security Health System.
The QA/QI approach in Costa Rica has become a model for the Central American Region and for many other countries across the complete spectrum of level of development and GNP/capita.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to construct the "excellence model" which was used to guide the strategic planning and operations of the entire Ministry and the Social Security Health Systemm in Costa Rica
Keywords: Quality Assurance, Quality Improvement
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.