Quality of primary nursing care for Bedouin in Jordan.

This paper presents a critique of the use of the Maximizing Access to Quality (MAQ) instrument supplemented by non-participant observation as a way of assessing the quality of nursing care in primary care clinics in the north-eastern Badia of Jordan, where populated by Bedouin. The MAQ checklist with non-participant observation of clinic care was used to assess the quality of care in four comprehensive health centres. In the four comprehensive health centres, more than half of the indicators for measuring the quality of the physical conditions were adequate. In relation to personnel, general practitioners were available, but in-service training was needed and no social workers were available. Provision of health services was optimal in three of the clinics but was less than optimal in the remotest clinic. Health education was done sporadically and continuity of care was the main challenge in provision in the four clinics. The MAQ checklist for assessing the quality of health provision in maternal and child health and reproductive services is a useful instrument to capture a snapshot of health-care provision; however, it is not suited to a rural setting.