Article type
Abstract
Background: The village clinic is the most important organisation of primary healthcare and the most powerful security of health undertakings in rural areas in China. However, increasing challenges in China’s Village clinics are a key issue of concern faced by the government.
Objectives: This study aims to systematically review the existing quality evaluation indicator systems of health services in China’s Village clinics.
Methods: Literature searches were conducted of 8 electronic databases for evaluation of article quality. This included Google Scholar search engines, the World Health Organization (WHO) website, and reference lists of relevant studies which applied inclusion/exclusion criteria. Inclusion articles were assessed using Ekman’s quality assessment checklist. Study characteristics, methods for indicators establishment and application, and indicator content performance. The thematic synthesis was used for qualitative and descriptive analysis.
Results: Twelve studies were included. Three of these achieved the highest grade (three-star), while 2 studies reported control or alternative comparison in detail. Ten studies were cross-sectional; and the other 2 were before-after contrast studies.Seven studies applied the evaluation indicator system of the service capacity of village clinics to examine the quality of primary health service, 5 of these studies investigated the quality evaluation indicators on health service before they applied ,the frequent indicators were distributed mainly in human resources for health service, medical equipment, housing and service capabilities. Five studies investigated the quality of rural public health services and applied 5 evaluation indicator systems, with the frequent indicators involving infrastructure for public health, immunisation, infectious disease management and chronic disease management.
Conclusions: The evaluation indicators on health service in China’s Village clinics are still not uniform. It is important to investigate unified quality evaluation indicators on health service and establish a set of improvement mechanisms.
Objectives: This study aims to systematically review the existing quality evaluation indicator systems of health services in China’s Village clinics.
Methods: Literature searches were conducted of 8 electronic databases for evaluation of article quality. This included Google Scholar search engines, the World Health Organization (WHO) website, and reference lists of relevant studies which applied inclusion/exclusion criteria. Inclusion articles were assessed using Ekman’s quality assessment checklist. Study characteristics, methods for indicators establishment and application, and indicator content performance. The thematic synthesis was used for qualitative and descriptive analysis.
Results: Twelve studies were included. Three of these achieved the highest grade (three-star), while 2 studies reported control or alternative comparison in detail. Ten studies were cross-sectional; and the other 2 were before-after contrast studies.Seven studies applied the evaluation indicator system of the service capacity of village clinics to examine the quality of primary health service, 5 of these studies investigated the quality evaluation indicators on health service before they applied ,the frequent indicators were distributed mainly in human resources for health service, medical equipment, housing and service capabilities. Five studies investigated the quality of rural public health services and applied 5 evaluation indicator systems, with the frequent indicators involving infrastructure for public health, immunisation, infectious disease management and chronic disease management.
Conclusions: The evaluation indicators on health service in China’s Village clinics are still not uniform. It is important to investigate unified quality evaluation indicators on health service and establish a set of improvement mechanisms.