[Measurement of efficiency and quality of work in hospitals and ambulatory facilities]

Facing high-cost health care and slow rate of economic growth, great attention must be paid to efficiency and quality of care in hospitals and ambulatory care facilities. This is a problem particularly in developing countries where extreme sums of money are spent on developing hospital capacities, whereas primary health care facilities are insufficient causing significant social differences among health care beneficiaries. At the same time, there exists a certain discontent because principles of equality, efficacy, efficiency and quality of health care including satisfaction of patients obtaining health care, are not pointed out in providing health care. Up to recent times it has been very hard to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative efficiency and quality of work in health care institutions, but today it is possible because the World Health Organization created indicators for this kind of evaluation.