Contribución de la epidemiología a la gestión del sistema de salud

Abstract

The components of health care systems management are described, as well as the way in which the epidemiological method contributes to give them a population basis. The main areas of influence are found in the generation of health policies and plans. Epidemiology deals with the important changes- geodemographic, social, cultural, economic, environmental, technological and of health status- which management must take into account at the national level there is an increasingly closer connection between epidemiology and public policies. At the regional and local level one of is important contributions is epidemiological surveillance. In the health care units-hospitals, clinics, it lets the health teams know how far their activities are relevant and effective vis-a-vis the population that they are responsible for. In orden to optimize the contribution of epidemiology both its community and strategy aspects should be further developed; Epidemiology Units should exist in all Regional Health Services; the abilities of the professionals should be fostered. The impact of epidemiology depends to a large extent on the context created by the existing health policy, health care model and health care system. Recent examples of applications of epidemiology to management of the Chilean health system include: and approach to reduce geographical inequities; programmes for the reduction of waiting lits; a more precise measurement of the burden of disease, and the design of quality norms based on scientific evidence.