An Incentive-Based Framework for Analyzing the Alignment of Institutional Interventions in the Public Primary...

Area of Science:

• Health Policy and Management
• Public Health
• Healthcare Systems Analysis

Background:

• The Portuguese National Health Service (NHS) has implemented reforms to address challenges in healthcare access and quality.
• Primary healthcare reform is a recent focus, necessitating an understanding of actor incentives and policy alignment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the alignment of primary healthcare sector interventions within the Portuguese NHS from an incentive-based perspective.
• To develop a framework for evaluating institutional interventions in primary healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis framework was developed.
• The framework was created in collaboration with decision-makers from the Portuguese Ministry of Health.

Main Results:

• The primary healthcare reform positively impacted physical resources and human capital.
• Significant geosocial asymmetries and deficiencies in intra- and inter-sectoral coordination were identified.

Conclusions:

• The study provides insights into the effectiveness of primary healthcare reforms in Portugal.
• The proposed framework can guide future national and international primary healthcare policy development and reform efforts.