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An application of value-based DEA to identify the best practices in primary health care

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Abstract

In 2005, a new phase for primary health care (PHC) in Portugal began, leading to the voluntary and independent creation of Family Health Units. The impact of this reform is now being witnessed, which justifies the need to evaluate its results as far as best practices in PHC are concerned. This work uses a value-based data envelopment analysis (DEA) method, which combines an additive DEA model with multi-criteria decision analysis concepts, to allow incorporating managerial preferences in the performance assessment of 12 health centres in a Portuguese region. Two models are presented for evaluating access to PHC, which resulted from discussions with a group of decision makers. This analysis helped the decision makers in the identification of best practices, sources of inefficiency and gaps relatively to the best practices, thus leading to shape opportunities for improvement.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under project Grant UID/MULTI/00308/2013. Authors are also indebted to the anonymous reviewers and the area editor for their constructive comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IPC-ISCAC, Quinta Agrícola, Bencanta, 3040-316, Coimbra, Portugal

    M. C. Gouveia

  2. INESC Coimbra, Rua Antero de Quental, 199, 3000-033, Coimbra, Portugal

    M. C. Gouveia, L. C. Dias & C. H. Antunes

  3. Faculdade de Economia, Universidade de Coimbra, Av. Dias da Silva 165, 3004-512, Coimbra, Portugal

    L. C. Dias

  4. DEEC-FCT Universidade de Coimbra, Polo II, 3030-290, Coimbra, Portugal

    C. H. Antunes

  5. ACES Baixo Mondego I, Rua Luís de Camões, no. 150, 3000-251, Coimbra, Portugal

    M. A. Mota, E. M. Duarte & E. M. Tenreiro

Authors
  1. M. C. Gouveia
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  2. L. C. Dias
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  3. C. H. Antunes
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  4. M. A. Mota
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  5. E. M. Duarte
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Correspondence to M. C. Gouveia.

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Gouveia, M., Dias, L.C., Antunes, C.H. et al. An application of value-based DEA to identify the best practices in primary health care. OR Spectrum 38, 743–767 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00291-015-0407-x

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