Assessment of outpatient services for AIDS patients, Brazil: comparative study 2001/2007

Authors

  • Maria Ines Battistella Nemes Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina; Departamento de Medicina Preventiva
  • Tatianna Meirelles Dantas Alencar Ministério da Saúde; Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde; Departamento de DST, Aids e Hepatites Virais
  • Cáritas Relva Basso Secretaria Estadual de Saúde; Centro de Referência e Treinamento em DST/Aids
  • Elen Rose Lodeiro Castanheira Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho; Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu; Departamento de Saúde Pública
  • Regina Melchior Universidade Estadual de Londrina; Departamento de Saúde Coletiva; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva
  • Maria Teresa Seabra Soares De Britto E Alves Universidade Federal do Maranhão; Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva
  • Joselita Maria Magalhães Caraciolo Secretaria Estadual de Saúde; Centro de Referência e Treinamento em DST/Aids
  • Maria Altenfelder Santos Universidade de São Paulo; Faculdade de Medicina; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Área Medicina Preventiva

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/rsp.v47i1.76591

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess Brazilian Unified Health System outpatient services delivering care to adults living with AIDS in 2007 and to compare with the assessment conducted in 2001. METHODS: The 636 health services registered in the Ministry of Health in 2007 were invited to respond to a previously validated questionnaire (Qualiaids Questionnaire) with 107 multiple-choice questions about the organization of care delivery. It analyzed the frequencies of responses to the 2007 questionnaire compared with those found in that of 2001 through percent variation (PV). RESULTS: 504 (79.2%) of the services responded to the questionnaire. Almost 100.0% of the respondents reported having essential resources for outpatient care: having at least one doctor, sufficient supplies of antiretroviral drugs, CD4 and viral load tests. Many aspects displayed improvement in 2007 compared to 2001: registry of missed medical appointments (from 18.3 to 27.0%, PV: 47.5%), follow-up appointment within 15 days of starting antiretroviral treatment (from 55.3 to 66.2%, PV: 19.7%) and user's organized participation (from 5.9 to 16.7%, PV: 183.1%). However, some difficulties remained: little change in the availability of specialized exams, such as endoscopy, within 15 days, (31.9 to 34.5%, PV: 8.1%) and decreases in indicators such as optimal time access to specialized appointments (55.9 to 34.5% in cardiology, negative PV: 38.3%). Mean time spent in follow-up medical appointments remained low: about 15 minutes (52.5 to 49.5%, negative PV: 5.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The 2007 assessment revealed that services have essential resources for ambulatory assistance. There was some improvement in many aspects compared to 2001, although some challenges still remain. Little time dedicated to medical appointments may be linked to insufficient number of doctors and/or due to reduced capacity of listening and dialogue. Impaired access to specialized appointments reveals the difficulty local Brazilian Unified Health System facilities have regarding infrastructure.

Published

2013-02-01

Issue

Section

Prática de Saúde Pública

How to Cite

Assessment of outpatient services for AIDS patients, Brazil: comparative study 2001/2007. (2013). Revista De Saúde Pública, 47(1), 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1590/rsp.v47i1.76591