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[Access to the pediatric ambulatory service at a university hospital]
1Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Estadual de Campinas(FCM/UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brasil. sfranco@obelix.unicamp.br
Insights
Access to specialized pediatric care in Brazil is limited, with socioeconomic factors significantly impacting patient outcomes and highlighting existing social inequalities within the healthcare system.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare access and delivery
- Public health policy
- Socioeconomic determinants of health
Background:
- Brazil faces a healthcare demand-supply imbalance, impacting the National Health System's goals of universality and equity.
- Evaluating health service access is crucial, particularly for pediatric care within university hospitals.
- This study compares access to general versus specialized pediatric services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare client access to general and specialized pediatric services in a Brazilian university hospital.
- To investigate socioeconomic and other variables influencing healthcare access.
- To identify social inequalities in healthcare access.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 221 users of general pediatric outpatient departments and a specialized service.
- Data collected included socioeconomic variables and factors related to healthcare service access.
- Comparative analysis was performed between user groups.
Main Results:
- Users experienced significant difficulties in traveling to the hospital.
- 40% of patients had no prior care, relying solely on state-funded services.
- Specialty clinic users had a higher socioeconomic status and were less reliant on state services, indicating social disparities.
Conclusions:
- Socioeconomic status is a significant factor in accessing specialized pediatric care.
- Organizational aspects of healthcare services contribute to and are influenced by social inequalities.
- The findings underscore the persistent social inequalities within Brazil's healthcare system.
Introduction:
In Brazil, one can verify an imbalance between the increase in the need for health care and its supply. The consolidation of the National Health System which recommends universality and equity in care, makes this issue important in the field of health service evaluation. Two pediatric services in a university hospital, one general and the other specialized are studied and compared in terms of their clients' access.
Method:
Questionnaires were applied to 221 users of the general pediatrics outpatient departments of one of the specialties with a view to studying and comparing socioeconomic and several other variables related to the access to these and other health services.
Results:
A high level of difficulty in the users' locomotion from local health services to the hospital was noted. Of the patients attended, 40% did not receive any kind of care before their arrival and were dependent exclusively on State-run health services. The clients of the specialty were different as regards several variables when compared to the users of the general outpatients' department. The fact that they are at a better socioeconomic level and are less dependent on State-run services brings out the social inequalities involved.
Conclusion:
Socioeconomic conditions, as well as organizational aspects of the service, are seen to be both causes and consequences of social inequality verified.