A primer for quality assurance and improvement in Pacific island health services

Abstract

Quality assurance and improvement (QA/QI) systems are underdeveloped in Pacific island jurisdictions and building QA/QI capacity is one of the best opportunities for quickly improving performance of health services in the region. There is a variety of styles available for QA/QI in health care organizations and the best approach will vary with the size, scope of practice, and needs of the organization. This report briefly describes the major styles of QA/QI and provides suggestions for QA/QI program approach based on several common Pacific island scenarios.