Ideal Clinic monitoring system: 10 components of Ideal Clinic
The Ideal Clinic monitoring system was designed to address the deficiencies in the quality of primary health care (PHC) services in South Africa. It is also in place to ensure the successful implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI). The program is broken down into ten components, as highlighted below.
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Health care in South Africa is divided into public and private sectors. Public health care serves most of the population, but operations are often negatively affected by understaffing and lack of funding.
Private health care is known to be high quality but expensive and can only be accessed by wealthy South Africans. The government has been trying to bridge the visible inequities through the National Health Insurance by ensuring that high-quality health care is accessible to everyone in the country.
What is an Ideal Clinic?
What is Ideal Health? An Ideal Clinic is a quality improvement plan that ensures hospitals have excellent infrastructure and good administrative procedures to realize quality care. It works closely with other sectors to address social determinants of health. The program's primary goal is to ensure the quality of care in primary health care facilities is improved efficiently and cost-effectively.
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Ideal Clinic components
The Ideal Clinic program was initiated in 2013 by the National Department of Health. The implementation was fast-tracked by Operation Phakisa, launched by former President Jacob Zuma in 2015. All PHC facilities in the country must fulfil the following ten Ideal Hospital components to be considered ideal.
| IC component | Subcomponents |
| Administration | -Signage and notices-Staff identity and dress code-Patient service organization-Management of patient records |
| Integrated clinical service management | -Clinical service provision-Access to medical, mental health, and allied health practitioners-Management of patient appointments-Coordination of PHC services-Clinical guidelines and protocols-Infection prevention and control-Patient waiting times |
| Medicines, supplies, and laboratory services | -Medicines and supplies-Management of laboratory services |
| Human resources for health | -Staff allocation and use-Professional standards and PMDS |
| Support services | -Finance and SCM-Hygiene and cleanliness-Security-Outbreak and disaster preparedness-Transport |
| Infrastructure | -Physical space and routine maintenance-Essential equipment and furniture-Bulk supplies-ICT infrastructure and hardware |
| Health information management | -District health information system (DHIS) |
| Communication | -Internal communication-Community engagement |
| District health system support | -DHS support-Emergency response-Referral system |
| Implementing partners and stakeholders | -Implementing partners' support-Multi-sectorial collaboration |
Ideal Clinic Monitoring System login
Web-based Ideal Clinic software was designed to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the IC initiative. To access the application, follow these simple steps;
- You must request a user account from the relevant staff at the Provincial or District office by filling in the User Registration Form. There are two types of accounts to request; one allows the user to view reports and dashboards, and another allows the user to capture data on the dashboard.
- Once the account is created, you will receive an email with user account details.
- Go to www.idealhealthfacility.org.za and select the Login tab.
- Enter your username and temporary password that was emailed to you.
- You will be required to enter a new password if it is the first time.
- Click save to proceed to the Homepage.
- A message will pop up stating, Account details updated.
Note that all Ideal Clinic documents are available on the official website.
What is primary health care in South Africa?
Primary health care is essential clinical care made universally accessible to the population with the complete participation of the community. PHC plans should make health care accessible, affordable, ethical, accountable, scientifically sound, and equitable.
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What is an ideal hospital in South Africa?
An ideal hospital functions optimally by meeting all the components of the Ideal Clinic program. PHC facilities are divided into two colour categories to show how far they have achieved the goal.
- Green: Achieved
- Red: Not achieved
Ideal Clinic elements are divided into four weights that determine which score should be given to a particular medical facility.
- Non-negotiable vital: If not addressed, these elements cause loss of life or a prolonged recovery period. It includes regular maintenance of the emergency trolley and functional oxygen cylinders.
- Vital: These elements are extremely important and affect direct service delivery and patient care. They need immediate and complete correction to avoid adverse health effects on patients. They entail patient prioritization depending on the level of required care, proper handling of patient records, adherence to national guidelines, cleanliness, and availability of basic medical supplies.
- Essential: These are very necessary elements that should be resolved within a given period. They indirectly affect the quality of clinical care that patients receive. They include designating consulting areas, reception services, availability of functional wheelchairs, and shorter patient waiting times.
- Important: These are significant elements that should be addressed within a certain period. They affect the quality of the environment in which patients receive health care. It includes external signage, facility motto, and patient privacy during consultancy.
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The Ideal Clinic monitoring system has helped improve the quality of health care South Africans receive from PHC facilities nationwide. The program's implementation is slowly eliminating the negative experiences that patients go through, especially in public facilities.
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