ACCESSIBILITY AND PRIMARY HEALTH CARE – THE REVIEW OF USERS

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the accessibility, based on the opinion of users of three health centers of the Regional Health Administration of the Alentejo (ARSA) where they have introduced organizational changes. Method: a descriptive study with quantitative approach, resorting to the use of a questionnaire. The sample consisted of users of three health centers. Data collection was carried out in two months. The data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS ®). Consent was obtained from ARSA (No. 11/2007), with the ethical component of data collection with human beings. Results: mostly female users who are over 60 years responded. The majority has a family doctor for over 15 years, the waiting time for a routine visit ranges from one to four weeks and get an emergency appointment the same day. Conclusion: the users are satisfied with the changes in the physical structure and functioning of health centers, translating into improvements in accessibility to care. However, they mentioned the need for changes at the level of human resources, customer assistance, physical environment and utilities.