[Health care reform in progress. Noticeable improvement in availability of consultation in primary health care].
The aim of this study was to check whether after 3-year functioning of reformed health care the improvement of services in primary health care availability could be asserted. Method of the study was a comparison of standardized index of consultations realized in the primary health care. The study was realized in 1998 (before the reform) and in years 1999-2001 (after changes). Materials were also results of study of social opinion in 1997 and results of questionnaire study of patient satisfaction in 2000 and 2001. The period of the study of attendance was 3 years (from 1st March 1999 to 28th February 2002). As a result of analyses explicit increase in adequate standardized consultations index in the primary health care was ascertained. The increase in this index was (in the primary health care) from 2.96 before the reform to 6.1 in family practice (FP) and 3.62 in regional clinic (the first year of the study). High level of index consultations in FP showed a downward tendency and in the third year of the study was 5.55. Results obtained in questionnaire study of patients' satisfaction in FP showed significant improvement in opinion about consultations availability. The increase of 69.09 points in effective graduation was noticed.


CONCLUSIONS
Significant improvement of consultations availability in the primary health care was noticed. The improvement of services availability in the primary health care is especially explicit in location, where general practice is a part of non-public sector and where before 1999 opinions about bad availability were significant.
Szydłowski
Jarosław W
JW
Pracowni Organizacji i Ekonomiki Ochrony Zdrowia Zakładu Higieny i Epidemiologii Pomorskiej Akademii Medycznej w Szczecinie. pracorg@sci.pam.szczecin.pl
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011044:Poland; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors