Health system performance assessment: a framework for policy analysis (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 19 April 2022)

Summary

Health policy-making and reform require, first and foremost, a sound understanding of how a health system is performing. To assist countries in this process, the Health Systems Performance Assessment Framework for Universal Health Coverage offers a comprehensive attempt at guiding the collection and analysis of health system data in relation to policy goals and 21st century challenges.

This book is grounded in the premise that any whole-of-sector assessment exercise should collect information on and examine the performance of both the functions of the health system as well as its performance goals. Thus, it follows through each of the health system functions (i.e., health system governance, financing, resource generation and service delivery), outlining their purpose, the sub-functions needed to fulfil that purpose, and assessment areas to evaluate how well a function performs.

This innovative framework conceptually links health system functions to intermediate and final health system goals. As a result, policy-makers will be better able to determine and analyse possible origins or impact of poor performance on a particular health system outcome.