The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #63953

Laura R. Murray and Ann Lion Coleman, MSPH. Intrah/PRIME II, Federico Henriquez y Carvajal #11, Segundo Piso-Gazcue, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 809-221-2921, dnelson@intrah.org

Developing mechanisms for consumers to provide regular feedback on service quality is a key component of the PRIME II Project’s Consumer-Driven Quality (CDQ) approach. In Santo Domingo, PRIME CDQ tools help providers at an urban family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) clinic gather and apply consumer input. Ensuring consumer satisfaction with quality of services stabilizes the clinic’s financial position by increasing the number of paying clients. Through ongoing community talks, meetings with community members, interviews conducted by health promoters during home visits, and with tools developed by providers and community members working in concert, PRIME has successfully linked clinic staff with consumers of clinic services. Due to this relationship, improvements have been made to the clinic’s environment and services in direct response to consumer input. Weekend and evening hours have been added, a ceiling and privacy screens installed in all rooms, a television and VCR purchased for the clinic waiting room, and an aggressive advertising campaign activated, all results of an action plan developed in community meetings using tools adapted from PRIME II partner EngenderHealth’s community COPE methodology. The CDQ project has been instrumental in doubling the number of clients at the clinic and increasing the percentage of paying clients from 28% to 83% over eight months. With improvements like these, the clinic promises to remain self-sufficient while delivering quality FP/RH services that are accessible to all community members in the neighborhoods it serves.

Learning Objectives:

• • Articulate the key objectives and components of the Consumer-Driven Quality (CDQ) approach.
  • Describe the specific activities and tools used to gather and apply consumer input at a family planning and reproductive health clinic in the Dominican Republic.
  • Discuss the connection between community involvement, improved services and financial sustainability.

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Family Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.