Question:medium

For functioning of a health centre with reference to evaluation, which is the most important determinant for assessing clinical management?

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In quality assessment of healthcare, the Donabedian model's third component -- which measures recovery and survival -- is the ultimate indicator of clinical management quality.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Input
  • Process
  • Structure
  • Outcome
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Donabedian Model of Healthcare Quality Evaluation:

This model classifies quality indicators into three domains:

1. Structure (= Input): Physical and organizational resources -- staff, facilities, equipment. Tells us what is available to provide care.

2. Process: Clinical actions taken -- diagnosis, treatment decisions, prescriptions, procedures. Tells us what was done to the patient.

3. Outcome: The result of care -- recovery, restoration of function, patient survival, complication rates, patient satisfaction. Tells us what happened to the patient as a result of care.

Why Outcome is most important for clinical management: Outcome is the gold standard for judging clinical quality because it captures the net effect of all structural and process factors on the patient's health. A health centre may have good structure and appropriate processes, but if patient outcomes are poor, the clinical management is considered inadequate.

Quote from Park's Textbook of PSM: "The outcome of medical care, in terms of recovery, restoration of function and of survival, has been frequently used as an indicator of the quality of medical care."

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