Welcome!
First and foremost, accept my sincere gratitude for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this very important workshop on quality indicators.
Quality indicators specifically for the clinics of general practitioners are one of the aspects that fits into the health reform efforts for Sint Maarten. It is therefore important to commence with you as general practitioners because you have a very important role as the first line contact for delivering primary care.
The efforts made to develop quality indicators is a result of the report from the Inspectorate of Public Health which included recommendations on different quality aspects that requires improvement. In addition, the health care system is transitioning towards a value based system with new tariffs which also calls for the need for establishing quality indicators.
Taking the total health reform into account, it is imperative to focus on specific areas such as ;
· Episode registration
· Measurement of quality services
· Determining the need for services
· The focus on patient centered care
Alternatively, the systematic collection of evidence about the quality of care has become more evident as citizens within our community are becoming increasingly demanding and have increased expectations of health care providers and the health care system. There is insufficient documentation of major illnesses and outcome assessments of the interventions that are provided within the health care chain. Additionally, assessing the quality of care has equally become important to the healthcare providers, policymakers and purchasers of care.
Taking cost-effectiveness and the related health outcomes into account, it is imperative that quality indicators be developed and implemented on Sint Maarten in order to guarantee the improvement of the quality of care provided.
By developing and implementing quality indicators for Sint Maarten, you will be able to use the information collected to improve your services. Ultimately the use of quality indicators as a measurement tool will enhance the quality and efficiency of health care services provided to the citizens of Sint Maarten.
In closing, I wish you all a fruitful and productive workshop and thank you once more for your attendance.