Improving healthcare quality in Europe

"Quality improvement initiatives take many forms, from the creation of standards for health professionals, health technologies and health facilities, to audit and feedback, and from fostering a patient safety culture to public reporting and paying for quality. For policy-makers who struggle to decide which initiatives to prioritise for investment, understanding the potential of different quality strategies in their unique settings is key.....This book is intended to help policy-makers to understand concepts of quality and to support them to evaluate single strategies and combinations of strategies."

Improving healthcare quality in Europe: Characteristics, effectiveness and  implementation of different strategies
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
October 2019

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The European health report 2015

"The gaps between the highest and lowest values reported in the Region for the Health 2020 indicators linked to social determinants of health – infant mortality, life expectancy, primary school enrolment and unemployment – have shrunk, but the absolute differences between countries remain large."

The European health report 2015: Targets and beyond - reaching new frontiers in evidence
WHO Regional Office for Europe
October 2015

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The European health report 2015

"The gaps between the highest and lowest reported values for the Health 2020 indicators linked to the social determinants of health –  infant mortality, life expectancy, primary school enrolment and unemployment – have shrunk. Preliminary data suggest that this positive trend has continued since 2010, although absolute differences between countries remain large."

The European health report 2015: Targets and beyond - reaching new frontiers in evidence
World Health Organization
September 2015

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Economic crisis, health systems and health in Europe

"This report from the WHO looks at the 2008 economic crisis and how it has reinforced the understanding that fiscal pressures threaten health and health system performance. The report focuses on a study of over 45 countries’ experiences and policy responses, to address key questions of how different European countries dealt with the crisis and how this affected the performance of healthcare systems, as well as the population’s health."

Economic crisis, health systems and health in Europe: Country experience
A Maresso, et al. (eds).
World Health Organization
September 2015

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What is the evidence on the economic impacts of integrated care?

"Failure to better integrate or coordinate services along the care continuum may result in suboptimal outcomes and available evidence of integrated care programmes points to a positive impact on the quality of patient care and improved health or patient satisfaction outcomes."

Policy summary 11: What is the evidence on the economic impacts of integrated care?
E Nolte, E Pitchforth
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
World Health Organization
2014

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Building European reference networks in health care

"Experience and knowledge are key in ensuring safe and high quality health care and, coupled with the efficient use of resources (economy of scale), essential for creating smart, responsive and sustainable health systems."

Building European reference networks in health care. Exploring concepts and national practices in the European Union
Edited by W Palm, IA Glinos, B Rechel, P Garel, R Busse, J Figueras
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
February 2013

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