Why PI is Important to JHPIEGO | PI Strategy | Defining and Strengthening the MAQ/PI Relationship at JHPIEGO

 

If we improve the performance of healthcare providers, we will improve the quality of the healthcare services they deliver.

For years, international development organizations believed that training was the way to improve performance. In reality, to have a lasting impact, training cannot be an isolated event. Instead, we need to employ an integrated process that identifies the most appropriate solution by first defining what desired performance is and then finding out what is inhibiting the achievement of that performance. This process must also assure that quality is sustained through continuous monitoring and evaluation.

At JHPIEGO, we work to improve the quality of reproductive health services by developing a global network of training systems that produce qualified preservice education faculty and inservice trainers, who in turn prepare healthcare providers. While acknowledging this significant contribution, it is important to ask the following questions:

• Do these training networks improve the performance of healthcare workers at the service delivery site?

• Is training the best investment for improving performance—or should other interventions also be considered?

Although training is one way to improve performance, it is rarely the only way. Having successfully developed quality clinical training networks, the next logical areas we need to explore are:

• How can we ensure that training results in improved performance, which in turn produces high quality services?
• What other factors contribute to improved performance, and what can we do to address them?

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