Adaptation and validation of scale to assess the coordination of health care networks by the primary care: preliminary results

Author(s)

Ludmila Barbosa Bandeira Rodrigues

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2014-01-10

Examining board members

Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio; Sueli Leiko Takamatsu Goyatá; Pedro Fredemir Palha; Claudia Benedita dos Santos; Fábio de Souza Terra

• Advisor: Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio; Luís Miguel Velez Lapão

Abstract

Changes in demographic, epidemiological structures and patterns of mortality have raised the need for the new organization perspectives of the health systems. With the prevalence growth on chronic conditions, it was possible to note changes in relation to the health needs and demands of the population requiring an urgent search for new responses. Thus, the problems related to the system integration and care coordination are receiving attention in the health systems reforms, especially, in the primary health care role. It is considered that the health systems organized in health care networks and coordinated by the primary health care may contribute to the improvement of clinical quality, health outcomes and users satisfaction (by improving access and problem-solving), besides reducing the costs of local health systems. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate for Brazil\'s checklist used to assess the degree of integration of Network Health Care. This is a methodological and cross- sectional study. Data collection occurred from March to October 2013. The health professionals who work in the Family Health Strategy participated in the study. They were recruited in the microregion of Alfenas /MG. The process involved two stages: semantic validation and pilot testing. There were 3 phases in the semantic validation: evaluation and adaptation of the items by the group of experts; evaluation and suggestion of the items by 50 health professionals; evaluation and certification of the items by 6 health professionals. In this step, the instrument\'s items proved to be understandable by the reference population. The internal consistency reliability of the instrument was satisfactory. The convergent validity was satisfactory for most of the instrument\'s items, with some correlations showing values lower than 0.30. In the discriminant validity, the correlations among items and dimensions to which they belong mostly were significantly larger or larger than the correlations with dimensions to which they do not belong to. Results showed that the instrument COPAS owns satisfactory psychometric properties, and in the future, it could become a useful tool for managers and workers to the reorganization of local health systems (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/17403-8 - Validation of a scale to assess the coordination of networks of health care by primary attention
• Grantee: Ludmila Barbosa Bandeira Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate