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Measuring public health system performance
“. . . public health has a tradition of reporting population health status and evaluating specific programs, but not the performance of public health overall”
Woodward, Manuel and Goel, 2004
Performance measures
System performance measures
- Measures performance that affects the overall public health system
Program performance measures
- Measures performance for selected programs (mainly outcome and competence)
Examples of system performance measures include: human resource development, information systems, public health capacity and health status.
Components of system performance
- human resource development
- data and information systems
- customer focus and satisfaction
- financial systems
- management practices
- public health capacity
- health status
i.e. mainly organisational competence, which is measured by accreditation processes
“From Silos to Systems”, Turning Point 2003
Provincial-level functions?
- Information systems
- Education and training
- Research
- Legislation
- Funding
- Other?
System performance in the performance agreement
- Should measure system performance, not program performance e.g.
- Report bi-annually on population health and your plan to improve it
- Have in place a transparent performance improvement system
- Might also include provincial-level system performance improvement?
Program performance in the performance agreement
If it must be included, why not 1 – 3 measures for each of 4 programs every five years?
- This ensures each program receives attention, and may prevent excessive emphasis on a program just because it is in the PA
