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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2003
New CD-ROM and Publication Detail Tools and Approaches
for Improving the Quality of Health Care in Developing Countries
BALTIMORE-In an effort to share lessons learned and best practices with reproductive health organizations working globally to improve quality of care in developing country heath care facilities, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) has created a package of quality improvement materials.
 The package-which includes a CD-ROM on client-provider communication and a publication on quality improvement projects-is based on knowledge gained while implementing quality improvement projects around the world since the mid 1990s. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided support for most of the quality improvement projects profiled in the package.
"Communication is a critical component of any quality improvement program, which must respond to the expectations of clients and communities," said Jane Bertrand, PhD, MBA, CCP director and professor of Population and Family Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Many clients judge the quality of a facility not by the technical competence of service providers but rather the quality of their interaction with staff."
CCP works with partner organizations to develop communication strategies to provide practical and cost-effective ways to improve the quality of care in reproductive health, maternal and child health, and HIV and AIDS.
 Client-Provider Communication: Successful Tools and Approaches highlights best practices and promising innovations for improving the quality of client-provider communication. The multimedia CD-ROM contains program descriptions that demonstrate various approaches and tools. Client-provider communication is often considered the centerpiece of quality of care.
Improving the Quality of Care is a 20-page publication profiling five successful strategies for improving the quality of service globally. Country programs include Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, and West Africa. The publication identifies several innovative and effective applications of strategic communication to improve reproductive health care.
Under the Population Communication Services (PCS) project and the Population Information Program (PIP), CCP worked with numerous agencies in more than 20 countries to define, identify, promote, and maximize quality. With representatives in more than 30 countries, CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication for behavior change and health promotion that has helped transform the theory and practice of public health communications. To order copies of either the CD-ROM or publication, contact orders@jhuccp.org.
For more information contact: Kim Martin at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Tel: 410 659-6140; Fax: 410 659-6266 e-mail: press@jhuccp.org.
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