Improving Health Service Delivery in Developing Countries

From Evidence to Action

David H. Peters, Sameh El-Saharty, Banafsheh Siadat, Katja Janovsky, Marko Vujicic

• Publisher: World Bank Publications
• Year: 2009
• eBook ISBN:
  9780821379431
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Health Care Delivery

Reliable information on how health service strategies affect the poor is in short supply. In an attempt to redress the imbalance, 'Improving Health Service Delivery in Developing Countries' presents evidence on strategies for strengthening health service delivery, based on systematic reviews of the literature, quantitative and qualitative analyses of existing data, and seven country case studies. The authors also explore how changes in coverage of different health services affect each other on the national level. Finally, the authors explain why setting international targets for health services has been not been successful and offer an alternative approach based on a specific country's experience. The book's findings are clear and hopeful: There are many ways to improve health services. Measuring change and using information to guide decisions and inform stakeholders are critically important for successful implementation. Asking difficult questions, using information intelligently, and involving key stakeholders and institutions are central to the "learning and doing" practices that underlie successful health service delivery.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• About the Editors
• Abbreviations
• Overview
• Chapter 1 Review of Strategies to Strengthen Health Services
• Chapter 2 Review of Strategies to Strengthen the Performance of Health Organizations
• Chapter 3 Review of Strategies to Improve Health Care Provider Performance
• Chapter 4 Review of Community Empowerment Strategies for Health
• Chapter 5 Analysis of Cross-country Changes in Health Services
• Chapter 6 Institutional Context of Health Services
• Chapter 7 Evaluation of Changes in Health Results in World Bank-assisted Health Projects
• Chapter 8 Seven Country Case Studies
• Chapter 9 From Evidence to Learning and Action
• Glossary
• Index
• Boxes
• Figures
• Tables