Regulation of health care professionals as a quality strategy

Abstract

Health professionals are both a health system input and an active component of the functions that the health system performs. As such, the performance of the health workforce is directly linked to the quality of health services. Regulation is essential to define a clear framework within which health professionals acquire and maintain the competence needed to provide health services that are of high quality, i.e. that are safe, effective and patient-centered. This presentation discusses the evidence on a sequence of strategies that regulate health professionals, looking at how they are currently deployed in Europe, how (cost-)effective they are, and what can be done to optimize their implementation. Adopting a comprehensive perspective ranging from the entry into training to life-long maintenance and demonstration of competence, the presentation brings together a) strategies to develop professional competence (including training structure and contents, curriculum development and the accreditation of institutions for health education); b) strategies that regulate the entry of physicians and nurses into their professions (e.g. licensing and registration); c) mechanisms to maintain competence (e.g. continuing professional development); and d) levers to address instances when fitness to practice comes into question.

Knowledge and Perceptions about Diagnosis, Clinical Management, and Prevention of Dengue Fever among Physicians during the 2023 outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study in Peru

“…In both studies, clinical practice guidelines were used as a reference to perform the respective knowledge questionnaire. Furthermore, the importance of knowledge of clinical practice guidelines, whether international or local, lies in the fact that they reduce unjusti ed variation in practice and improve the quality of medical care (Panteli et al, 2019). This premise is reinforced by the fact that, in 2022 in Peru, according to an analysis of medical records of dengue deaths, there was evidence of a lack of adherence to the 2017 Clinical Practice Guideline for the care of dengue in Peru by the health personnel who attended the patients (Ministerio de Salud del Perú, 2023f).…”

Even High-Quality CPGs Seldom Include Implementation Strategies

“…In the CHRONIDE study, Europe had the second highest number of CPGs (124; 30%) ( Molino et al, 2019 ), and in the current study, Europe had contributed with half of the high-quality CPGs (10; 50%). It is worth noting that only CPGs available in English, Spanish, or Portuguese were included in our sample, which may have led to the exclusion of CPGs from other WHO countries, such as Germany and France, potentially limiting the generalization of findings ( Panteli et al, 2019 ). There were 6 (30%) out of the 20 high-quality CPG that had been developed by NICE, which is based in the UK.…”

Improving Patient Outcomes Through Effective Hospital Administration: A Comprehensive Review

“…To address this, hospitals should establish clinical guidelines committees responsible for developing, disseminating, and promoting adherence to evidence-based protocols. Regular audits and feedback mechanisms should be in place to monitor compliance with clinical guidelines and drive continuous improvement [35].…”