EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF WELCOMING OF THE SPONTANEOUS DEMAND IN A BASIC HEALTH UNIT
User embracement; Primary Health Car; Health Services Research; Quality Improvement.
Objective: To evaluate the level of quality of the welcoming of spontaneous demand in a basic health unit and to verify the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at improving quality. Method: This is a quantitative research, with a near-experimental design, type before and after and without control group, developed through the application of an internal cycle of quality improvement in a basic health unit, located in the northeast region of Brazil. For this purpose, five quality criteria were used, evaluated before and after improvement intervention. The samples for each criterion (n = 60) were randomly selected. The point estimate was calculated with a 95% safety interval, as well as the absolute and relative improvement of each criterion. Statistical significance was verified through the Z test. Data from the first evaluation were collected in January and reassessed in July 2018, using an instrument with semi-structured questions, through an interview with users classified as spontaneous demand. Results: It was verified that of the five quality criteria, one had statistical significance between evaluations, another had absolute improvement of 5%, two remained stable and one worsened. Conclusion: the level of fulfillment of the criteria of quality of the welcoming the spontaneous demand was positive in the second evaluation, except for criterion three. The application of the quality improvement cycle proved effective as a method of quality management.