Quality Health Care

To analyze and compare the US healthcare, internationally, it is important to know what really constitutes a good health care system. The U.S. Institute of Medicine describes this quality as, “the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.” This system, in its broad sense, should comprise of two main branches of preventative and curative medicine, both of which should cover different aspects of health, such as travel medicine, school health, occupational health, mental health, reproductive health and so on. Furthermore, a well established health care system does not act independently but in co-ordinance with other industries, such as the agricultural industry. Therefore, since a well developed nation has better access to proper sanitation, housing and adequate nutrition, it is more likely to have a better developed health care system. Other factors, such as affordability, accessibility, acceptability, coverage and benefits also play major roles in the society and can form the basis of failure or success of a system, in a well developed country. The eradication of many diseases, such as, small pox, polio, diphtheria, tuberculosis and leprosy to extinction or near extinction, from most countries provide good examples where great coverage and its acceptability in most societies paved way for this medical miracle. (Docteur & Berenson, 2009)

A great deal of commonality in this regard has also been observed in the evaluation of eighty other countries, with an existing health system. In addition to effectiveness, the researchers identified 14 other dimensions: acceptability, accessibility, appropriateness, care environment and amenities, competence or capability, continuity, expenditure or cost, efficiency, equity, governance, patient-centeredness (-focus) or responsiveness, safety, sustainability, and timeliness. (Docteur &