Standards supporting quality

Setting clinical standards is an important task in supporting quality of health services in line with national strategic direction. Standards are applied to influence practices and services provided, particularly at the facility level. Relevant tools included in the Toolkit support the development and use of standards based on guidelines from across a range of WHO technical programmes. Although all applicable standards and associated guidelines produced by WHO are relevant, the Toolkit focuses on resources that directly contribute to the specific attributes of quality of care.

Use of these tools requires a review/assessment of the current clinical standards that are in place in a given country and any modifications or updating that may be needed. Periodic updating of this kind should be based on the latest evidence and assessment of health system performance through measurement and evaluation. The Toolkit includes a selection of materials to aid in clinical care and improvement processes, adaptation and development of related standards, as well as the planning necessary to effectively roll out new or updated standards.

These resources are applicable to national, sub-national/district and facility levels, as well as to parallel bodies, which set clinical standards based on evidence-based guidelines. Agencies that provide this technical support domestically, regionally and globally will find these tools helpful. Although this work is typically conducted by specific institutions or government departments, input from across the health system helps ensure adapted standards are grounded within the national context.

While standards help to establish related benchmarks, they may need to be supplemented with relevant guidelines to help achieve those standards. WHO has collated all of its recent guidelines in a dedicated online database. WHO has gathered and reviewed existing evidence to help develop these guidelines across a number of technical areas in order to provide a basis for quality service provision, medication and medical device use, diagnostic and laboratory practices, as well as engaging people and communities to improve the interaction between populations and their health system.