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Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Abay Poster Exhibition and Hall (Millennium Hall)
Primary Health Care strategies are considered the most cost-effective initiatives,
especially for developing nations. In spite of this, the literature that accounts for the
implementation of evaluation models is limited. The objective of the paper consists of
specifying a theoretical/methodological framework that allows evaluating, given a
certain context, the effectiveness of PHC strategies, establishing the relative
development of involved actors from the institutional supply side, as well as the
relevance of population requirements on the type of services eventually offered. The
units of study are the Health and Community Action Centres (CESAC) distributed
among sixteen Centres of Management and Participation (CGP) of Buenos Aires City.
The Proposal combines descriptive statistics with the estimation of a model based on
the theory of determination of efficient frontiers applied to multiproduct organizations.
Relying on a panel of daily consultation on CESACs for the 2004/5 period across
patients, by cause of consultation and treatment, the differential development of each
centre was estimated for four types of interventions, controlled by infrastructure and
resources factors, demand’s characteristics, goods delivered and seasonal variables.
Results suggest that traditional supply indicators are significant to explain the
development of CESACs. As long as population determinants are concerned, patients’
education operates in the same direction, so that the lower the educational level, the
more limited is the access to existing services is. In terms of demands homogeneity
within CESACs, the regression analysis confirms the hypothesis of self-focalization:
patients who approach a public centre have similar poverty levels, regardless of their
localization. Finally, the proposed methodology suggests the presence of significant
differences concerning management between CESACs by using idiosincratic variables.
Results do not drive to the conclusion that there are units more efficient that other in
absolute terms, but that it depends on the type of service provided.
especially for developing nations. In spite of this, the literature that accounts for the
implementation of evaluation models is limited. The objective of the paper consists of
specifying a theoretical/methodological framework that allows evaluating, given a
certain context, the effectiveness of PHC strategies, establishing the relative
development of involved actors from the institutional supply side, as well as the
relevance of population requirements on the type of services eventually offered. The
units of study are the Health and Community Action Centres (CESAC) distributed
among sixteen Centres of Management and Participation (CGP) of Buenos Aires City.
The Proposal combines descriptive statistics with the estimation of a model based on
the theory of determination of efficient frontiers applied to multiproduct organizations.
Relying on a panel of daily consultation on CESACs for the 2004/5 period across
patients, by cause of consultation and treatment, the differential development of each
centre was estimated for four types of interventions, controlled by infrastructure and
resources factors, demand’s characteristics, goods delivered and seasonal variables.
Results suggest that traditional supply indicators are significant to explain the
development of CESACs. As long as population determinants are concerned, patients’
education operates in the same direction, so that the lower the educational level, the
more limited is the access to existing services is. In terms of demands homogeneity
within CESACs, the regression analysis confirms the hypothesis of self-focalization:
patients who approach a public centre have similar poverty levels, regardless of their
localization. Finally, the proposed methodology suggests the presence of significant
differences concerning management between CESACs by using idiosincratic variables.
Results do not drive to the conclusion that there are units more efficient that other in
absolute terms, but that it depends on the type of service provided.
Learning Objectives: 1) Construct a cost-effective tool to achieve the goal of comprehensive coverage of the population, an indispensable instrument for equitable progress in the health field 2) Identify the effectiveness of PHC strategies 3) Develop mechanisms for measuring PHC impact, being effective instruments for analyzing the success of an action plan with univocal, feasible and consistent indicators over time and between units of attention.