Quality assessment of reproductive health services.

Systematic information on the quality of health services is being sought by purchasers and providers of health care. Consensus on an appropriate set of quality assessment criteria should stimulate the development of data collection tools and analytic methods. To begin the dialogue, criteria for evaluating the quality of family planning services, routine gynecologic care, infertility care, male reproductive health services, prenatal care, and early postnatal care are necessary. The effect of report cards on measurement and reporting and the challenges of assessing quality in family planning and other clinic settings are discussed.