Hearing impairment diagnosis in Pernambuco: services of intermediate complexity--2003.
Universal and equal access to health care, granted to the population as of the brazilian constitution of 1988, made it easier the early diagnosis of hearing impairment. Thus, through the sistema único de saúde (sus), public and private health care providers granted this health coverage to the whole brazilian population, in the different levels of complexity.


OBJECTIVE
this paper aims at studying the supply of intermediate complexity hearing impairment diagnosis in pernambuco in the first semester of 2003.


METHODS
a study of series analyzed 17669 procedures and 372 professionals in the field of hearing impairment in the 185 municipalities in the state of Pernambuco--Brazil--data taken from the outpatient information system of the ministry of health.


RESULTS
the results showed that the procedures are being carried out in only five municipalities, most of them managed in municipal units. We also identified an unequal distribution of diagnostic procedures.


CONCLUSIONS
we then concluded that much is still necessary to provide hearing impairment diagnostic in a horizontal fashion, considering the community differences through an universal, integrated and efficient model, as the one proposed by the sistema único de saúde.
Miranda
Gabriella Morais Duarte
GM
CPqAM, FIOCRUZ, Federal University of Pernambuco, and Real Instituto de Otorrinolaringologia do Real Hospital Português de Beneficência em Pernambuco, Brazil.
de Queiroga
Bianca Arruda Manchester
BA
Delgado Lessa
Fábio José
FJ
de Carvalho Leal
Mariana
M
da Silva Caldas Neto
Sílvio
S
D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D017149:Private Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017150:Public Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000078329:Workforce