Continuous quality improvement in primary health care

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of a programme of continuous quality improvement (CQI) in three primary care teams (PCTs) and to test the effectiveness of correspondence analysis (CA) in identifying factors contributing to quality performance. Methods: A CQI task force was responsible for coordinating all aspects of the programme. Six domains of performance were defined, each having one or more indicators. The statistical analysis included comparison of proportions and, in addition, CA was used to further identify which factors were contributing to a performance below the standard. Results: In the domain of infant care, two of the three PCTs reached the 100% goal on immunisation coverage. The third PCT did not attain the standard (85%). However, through CA it was possible to identify the subpopulation at risk. The proportion of pregnant women accessing pre-natal care during the first trimester increased from the initial 20 to 66% (p