Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) for reproductive health services

Location: Kenya  |  Funded by: GIZ

Key objectives:

• Develop and implement IQMS – a participatory indicator-based system that approaches quality from multiple perspectives including patients and staff. The system is based on the European Practice Assessment (EPA) and provides health facilities with opportunities to compare themselves with other institutions leading to improvements in the delivery of health services. The implementation of the system is supported by certified facilitators who assist health facilities in developing and implementing quality improvement initiatives.
• Develop Integrated QMS indicators that were derived from KQMH standards, the Kenya Health Information System, other national clinical standards and the reform tool. Within the first phase, 303 indicators, with a thematic focus on SRH including GBV, were developed through a participatory scientific process. The process has been documented and published. A graphic visualisation software, called VISOTOOL, was adapted to facilitate the presentation of results from this relatively large number of indicators.
• Produce several publications through accompanying operational research in collaboration with the Department of General medicine and Health Service Research at the University Heidelberg.

Project description: The overall objective is to increase efficiency and responsiveness of reproductive health services, including treatment of gender-based violence, in outpatient care in hospitals and health centres of Kenya. To fill the gap in ambulatory care quality management systems, the GIZ health sector program engaged the consortium consisting of evaplan GmbH, the Institute for the Improvement of Applied Quality and Research in Health Care (aQua) and the Institute for Management and Research in Health Policy (IHPMR) to develop and implement an integrated Quality Management System (IQMS).