The value of an integrated approach to assessing the availability of primary health care, taking into account public opinion and EMIAS data

Abstract

Introduction. The study of public opinion as the basis for strategic planning of the activities of medical institutions is more relevant than ever, as it allows finding ways to solve the problems of ensuring the availability and satisfaction of citizens with medical care. Purpose. Comparative assessment of the availability of primary health care based on the results of a sociological study of public opinion and data from the Unified Medical Information and Analytical System of the City of Moscow (UMIAS). Material and methods. To study public opinion, the practice of population survey was used, which was conducted through direct interviewing with filling out questionnaires of visitors to Moscow polyclinics and the method of questioning doctors based on a questionnaire developed by researchers. To analyze the data, the authors used general scientific methods of cognition, including the dialectical method, a systematic approach, logical correspondence and harmonization, detailing and generalization. As part of the study, the index value of the patient loyalty to the medical institution (MI) was calculated according to Net Promoter Score (NPS) method as the difference between the share of the “Promoters” group and the share of the “Critics” group in the total number of responses. Results and discussion. The established correlations indicate the opinions of doctors and citizens to coincide and the UMIAS data on the issue of assessing the accessibility of admission of level 1 doctors for citizens. Based on the results of a sociological survey, the number of dissatisfied patients is mainly affected by managing medical care and its availability. The study confirmed that the higher the availability of an appointment with a level 1 doctor, the lower the number of visits the doctor on duty. Conclusion. The conducted research has shown the practicality of an integrated approach to evaluating the activities of medical organizations based on the results of public opinion research and UMIAS data.