Global and national efforts to meet the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expanded basic healthcare coverage to tackle infectious diseases and child mortality. These efforts achieved some success. However, a focus beyond healthcare coverage is now needed. If the global community is to reach SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, it must address a critical issue: the quality of health care.

In June 2017 the WHO Bulletin launched a theme issue on quality of care in the era of SDGs. The papers of the theme issue provide a glimpse into the current landscape of quality of care research in low- and middle-income countries. They make a strong case for investing in more and better data on health system quality, an area where countries must lead but where development partners can also add critical value through the production of public goods as well as data collection tools and technologies.

The WHO Bulletin is one of the world’s leading public health journals and at the same time unique in its affiliation with WHO and the UN system. The journal’s special focus on developing countries combined with its rigorous peer-review process ensures that the papers published under the theme issue are of high standard and of relevance. The theme issue includes original research articles on quality of care in low- and middle-income countries. The research explores specifically two themes: the measurement of health-care quality and associations between quality improvement measures and health outcomes.

Read the WHO Bulletin theme issue "Measuring Quality of Care"

http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/95/6/en/

Policy Seminar (14 June) - Launch of WHO Bulletin theme issue "Measuring Quality of Care"

The event will be live streamed via WebEx on Wednesday, 14 June from 08:30-13:00 (Geneva).

For more information on the event, please visit: https://www.wider.unu.edu/event/policy-seminar-launch-who-bulletin-theme-issue-measuring-quality-care-context-sustainable