Assessment of teaching-health care integration and performance in university hospitals.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the performance and integration between the health care and teaching dimensions in Brazilian university hospitals.


METHODS
A network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was designed to measure the performance of federal university hospitals, which enables the relationship between the teaching and health care dimensions to be considered simultaneously. Data from the Ministry of Education Information System of University Hospitals, in the second semester of 2003, were used. Results of the network model were compared to those of classical DEA models to assess the advantages of the new methodological proposal.


RESULTS
The efficiency of the hospitals assessed varied between 0.19 and 1.00 (mean = 0.54). The dimensional score showed that hospitals prioritize the gain in health care efficiency. It was observed that there was a need to double the number of medical students and increase the number of residents by 14% to obtain efficiency in the teaching dimension.


CONCLUSIONS
The model was useful for both unit managers, aiming to integrate teaching and health care, and regulatory organizations, when defining policies and incentives.
Castro Lobo
Maria Stella de
MS
Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. clobo@hucff.ufrj.br
Lins
Marcos Pereira Estellita
MP
Silva
Angela Cristina Moreira da
AC
Fiszman
Roberto
R
D001938:Brazil; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000592:standards*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*