Quality Improvement in Public Health

APHA advances quality improvement in both health care delivery and public health and is on the forefront of ensuring quality in public health systems through its standards-setting texts, education programs and policies that promote quality improvement in a range of public health systems. APHA participated with its key partners to promote the National Public Health Performance Standards Program, the accreditation of public health agencies and the certification of graduate trained public health workers.

The Public Health Quality Forum defines quality as:

Quality in public health is the degree to which policies, programs, services and research for the population increase desired health outcomes and conditions in which the population can be healthy.

In support of these efforts, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, MD, MPH, remarked that, "A fundamental function of the public health system is to safeguard and improve the quality of health in America." He released a statement on Sept. 21, 2009 entitled "Quality in the Public Health System."

APHA’s quality initiatives include but are not limited to:

More about Quality Improvement:

  • Infographic (PDF) from the National Association of County and City Health Organizations describing key features of performance improvement to help public health professionals and their partners understand the role and value of performance improvement to improve population health.