The quality of services provided by the National Health Service has fallen in terms of users, with the lowest value ever attributed to technical accessibility, according to a study released Tuesday.
According to the Sustainability Index developed by the Nova Information Management School (Nova IMS), the technical accessibility of social media has declined last year compared to 2021 and is “very low” compared to other parameters.
Availability assesses metrics such as on-time first appointments, waiting list queues and guaranteed maximum response time (180 and 270 days), emergencies handled at expected times, and utilization of available home hospitalization facilities.
“We have the quality perceived by the users, which has more or less stabilized and which this year has slightly decreased, although not significantly, and the technical quality, which has grown,” said study coordinator Pedro Simões Coelho.
The official explained that the technical quality is largely influenced by aspects that “are not perceived as such by users”, such as, for example, reducing hospital stays to 30 days and reducing mortality from stroke (cerebrovascular accidents).
On the other hand, he added, of all the parameters analyzed, the affordability index “is the lowest”: “It has only 51 points on a scale from zero to 100, that is, it does not even reach the threshold of 60 points, which is the threshold of positive values.”
“With these different vectors, some more positive, others more negative, the sustainability index [do Serviço Nacional de Saúde] turns out to be relatively stable,” he adds, referring to the “mixed-sign” year.
The social media resilience index, which fell in the first year of the pandemic and rose in 2021, remained almost stable (from 92.5 to 91.8), according to the study.
“This is an indicator that has stabilized (…). We estimate that activity (…) has risen above 2%, which is positive, but at the same time, we have spending that has risen above 6%. ..) an increase in costs over activities means a certain loss of productivity,” he explained.
Pedro Simões Coelho also recalled that before the pandemic, this index was about 102 points and that it fell sharply in 2020, adding: “In 2021, it partially recovered from this fall, but in 2022 it remains stable and, therefore, was even able to reach pre-pandemic level.
User satisfaction and confidence declined across most of the measured dimensions (with the exception of satisfaction with urgency). At this level, medical care received in the last 12 months, consultations at the polyclinic and public hospital, diagnostic tests, emergency care and hospitalization were analyzed.
Perceived quality of care also deteriorated across most of the determinants assessed, which included ease of access to care (booking or appointment), waiting times between bookings and medical procedures, infrastructure and facilities at the sites where they were provided. the assistance provided, as well as the quality of the professionals and the information they provide.
As a strength of the SNS, users continue to point to health professionals and the quality of the information they provide, believing that they should be valued.
Priority areas for action identified include ease of access to care and waiting times.
The work, developed in collaboration with AbbVie, Diário de Notícias and TSF, will be presented on Tuesday at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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