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Centre for Public Health in Economics and Business
Faculty of Economics and Business
Centre for Public Health in Economics and Business

CPHEB/EEF seminar Günther Fink

When:Th 23-03-2023 10:00 - 11:00
Where:on-site
Title: Do incentivized routine assessments of clinical protocol compliance improve quality of clinical care? Evidence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Speaker: Günther Fink (Swiss Tropical Institute of Public Health and University of Basel)

Abstract: Despite generally improved access to health care, under-5 mortality remains high in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the main factors contributing to the relatively high burden of mortality is limited compliance with clinical guidelines in many settings. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 124 primary health care centers across 23 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo to assess whether protocol compliance can be improved through routine knowledge assessments tied to performance payments. We find that performance-based payments increased knowledge of clinical protocols and increased directly observed quality of care for under-5 child visits, particularly among health providers over age 40 and health providers actively participating in the routine knowledge assessments. The results presented suggest that incentivized knowledge testing may be an effective tool for improving provider performance in low resource settings. Larger and longer follow-up studies will be needed to assess the health impact of incentivized knowledge programs.

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