WAITING TIME FOR SERVICE AND HOSPITALIZATION: USER SATISFACTION AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF PLANNING AND HEALTH EVALUATION

Abstract

Introduction: The relevance of participation and social control, promulgated by the Citizen Constitution of 1988, ensures the exercise of citizenship by allowing the population to participate actively in the formulation of public health policies and exercise control over the actions of the State, In this context, public ombudsmen arise, in order to allow direct listening of the population, giving prominence to civil society.Objective: The study aims to Elaborate a strategic planning and evaluation of the waiting time for care and hospitalization in a university hospital. Methodology:This is an ecological study, carried out in June 2023 in a teaching hospital in Northeast Brazil. Data were obtained from evaluation reports of users treated at the outpatient clinic and hospitalization, in the years 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Results: From the data analysis it was identified that there are discrepancies in the satisfaction rates between the years studied. The absence of methodology described in the reports causes bias in the satisfaction surveys, since each year the number of users surveyed is variable and the questionnaire used undergoes changes in the questions, without justification for the changes. The waiting time for care/hospitalization was considered the one that had the worst satisfaction rates. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the user satisfaction survey is an important assessment tool for management, however, there is a need for a safer method for carrying out the satisfaction assessment. Users, in general, are satisfied with the service, but the waiting time has been a variable that has often not been attended satisfactorily, and it is necessary to identify and correct the causes of this discomfort. It is hoped that this study can contribute to strengthening the ombudsman and the satisfaction survey as management tools.

Keywords: Health evaluation, User satisfaction, Hospital care, Ombudsman.