Evaluación de la vigilancia en salud en algunas unidades de atención primaria en Cuba

Abstract

Assessment of Public Health Monitoring at some Primary Care Units in Cuba Background: The organization and operation of the epide- miological monitoring carried out at several Primary Care faci- lities in Cuba was assessed by means of a study conducted for the purpose of ascertaining the effectiveness of the monitoring in question and of contributing to further improve the mecha- nisms thereofand thus improve the health conditions ofthe po- pulation. This assessment was implemented at eight Polycli- nics in the city of Havana throughout the 1998-1999 period. Method: By means of the implementation of an integral methodology, an assessment was made of the three factors in- volved in the monitoring system at the facilities in question, that is, the organization, the process and the results thereof. For this purpose, a survey which quantified some aspects of the system (sensitivity, opportunity, representativeness, useful- ness) and a semi-structured survey of epidemiologists and ot- her physicians involved in the monitoring in question in addi- tion to the users of the system was used. Results. The assessment of the organization revealed the monitoring organization to be adequate. In the assessment of the process, sensitivity was found to be low at some polycli- nics, problems existing at many of them with regard to the op- portunity and flexibility of the system. The assessment of the results ofthe monitoring revealed them to be satisfactory as re- gards their effectiveness for detecting acute events, as well as in the perception of the users with regard to the usefulness of these results for solving the problems pinpointed. Conclusions: The monitoring done at the polyclinics asses- sed is indicative of there being an adequate organization of the monitoring, although some shortcomings were found to exist with regard to the fulfillment of some aspects of the monito- ring. This however has no bearing on the results for the system as a whole, which is capable of detecting any epidemiological situation ofimportance and ofsuggesting appropriate measures for controlling the situation. Key words: Assessment. Health Monitoring. Primary Care.