Global core indicators for measuring WHO’s paediatric quality‑of‑care standards in health facilities

There are currently no global recommendations on a parsimonious and robust set of indicators that can be measured routinely or periodically to monitor quality of hospital care for children and young adolescents. Authors used a deductive methodology which involved the use of the World Health Organization Standards for improving the quality-of-care for children and young adolescents in health facilities as the organizing framework for indicator development. The entire process involved 9 complementary steps which included: a rapid literature review of available evidence, the application of a peer-reviewed systematic algorithm for indicator systematization and prioritization, and multiple iterative expert consultations to establish consensus on the proposed indicators and their metadata. Authors derived a robust set of 25 core indicators, representing all 8 World Health Organization quality standards, 40 quality statements and 520 quality measures. There is a need for further research to assess the feasibility of implementing these indicators across contexts, and the need for their validation for global common reporting.