Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104194

David Hotchkiss, PhD¹, Linda Piccinino, MPH², Altin Malaj, MD, MPH³, Andres Berruti, MA⁴, and Sujata Bose, MS². (1) Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2200, New Orleans, LA 70012, 504 585-6157, hotchkis@tulane.edu, (2) Abt Associates, 4800 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20817, (3) Abt Associates, Inc., Rr. Deshmorter e 2 Shkurtit No. 5, Tirana, Albania, (4) Department of International Health and Development, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2200, New Orleans, LA 70012

In the past decade, Albania's health care delivery system has experienced substantial structural changes that have hampered the provision of primary health care services. Ongoing efforts to strengthen the health care system are vitally important because they can substantially influence the availability and quality of health care services, and the efficiency and financial viability of the health sector. With assistance from USAID, the government carried out a primary health care pilot in four pilot sites in Berat and Kuçova from 2002 to 2004. The pilot interventions were designed to address the deficiencies in the quality and management of primary health care services and included: the development of clinical practice guidelines, medical records, and a patient encounter data system; provider training; community involvement strategies; and periodic medical audits. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the intervention, with a focus on reproductive, chronic, and acute services. Using a quasi-experimental research design, data for the study comes from a random sample of 2000 households and 26 health care facilities. To assess the impact of the intervention, changes from 2002 to 2004/2005 in the four intervention areas are compared to changes in two control areas where intervention did not take place. The results of the study are used to provide policy recommendations to Albanian stakeholders on a proposed model for the provision of primary health care across the country.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify barriers that influence the provision and utlilization of primary health care services in Albania
• Describe the effectiveness of a health system strengthening intervion on service availability, quality, and utilization

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.