Continuing education and quality improvement in primary health care.

Abstract

Since 1990 the Institute of Health Studies of the Department of Health and Social Security (Barcelona, Spain) has been developing a continuing education plan in quality improvement (QI) in order to introduce QI activities in health services. The plan consists of a series of training-oriented actions in public primary health care services. The goal of the plan is to facilitate the implementation of QI projects and programmes in order to introduce these activities into the routine practice of health care services and to obtain information on the impact of continuing education in QI. In the introduction of QI principles and methods into organizations, analysis of the existing situation usually reveals a variety of needs to be taken into consideration in developing actions to pursue quality [1,2]. These include: (i) the need to know and understand the principles and techniques of QI in which frequently all levels and professionals of the organization should be involved; (ii) the need to facilitate and assist professionals to develop Ql-related initiatives; and (iii) the need to obtain a commitment to these initiatives on the part of the organization's governing bodies. In order to meet these conditions, QI plans must be endowed with strategic elements in response to these needs and different actions; including continuing education, advising, and recognition of the progress derived from these initiatives should be appropriately articulated [3-5].