Public Health Management
Public health management aims to oversee the needs of a public health institution, ensuring satisfactory service delivery to its users. In general terms, management is responsible for managing resources, creating action plans, and facilitating services for a particular institution, always respecting budgetary constraints. This broad area also promotes policies that oversee action plans and methodologies designed to achieve goals and objectives.
The SUS and Public Health Management
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Unified Health System (SUS) is considered the largest public health system in the world. Established in Brazil in the mid-1990s, SUS operates nationwide with the goal of universally promoting the health of all citizens.
Given SUS’s scope in a vast country like Brazil, its institutional structure must be decentralized to effectively manage its operations. This is where public health management plays a crucial role by addressing the specific needs, challenges, and investment opportunities at the state, municipal, and regional levels.
Public Health Management in Practice
Public health management operates practically through performance indicators. Similar to other public institutions that use surveys, suggestion boxes, and dedicated email addresses to gather feedback from their target audience, public health management in any public hospital employs methods to meet the needs of both its target audience and its staff. This includes ensuring adequate resources such as PPE, as well as necessary equipment and supplies for institutional operations.
As previously mentioned, public health management encompasses various aspects of the country’s public health, including pharmaceuticals, budget control and planning for healthcare, maternity services, indigenous health, and health statistics indicators.
Another important aspect is the partnerships between private and public entities through contractual agreements. For instance, contracts with companies facilitate automation of wait times, appointment scheduling, medical record organization, security, cleaning, and other outsourced services.
ACONE has been working towards improving public healthcare systems by offering municipalities opportunities to optimize their use of resources, personnel, and time. The solutions proposed by this company are tailored to meet client needs.
Technology in Support of Public Health Management
The final, but equally important, topic concerns two interconnected aspects crucial for logistical mobility and time automation in public management: technological management mechanisms and appointment scheduling. In the first aspect, computer programs streamline data organization, such as electronic health records and ICU bed management. These mechanisms are interrelated and complement each other, enabling the second aspect—appointment scheduling—which relies on management programs to effectively control appointment creation, exam scheduling, and queue management.
While technological tools are still relatively new in the country’s public health management, they have already made significant impacts in sectors where they are implemented. Some basic healthcare units in capital cities like Aracaju already utilize electronic appointment scheduling and queue management, resulting in reduced wait times for consultations and exams. From 2012 to 2016, ACONE assisted the state of Sergipe in implementing a state-level center for regulating procedures (AMB, APAC, and AIH).
For these and other healthcare solutions, ACONE is here to help. Contact us, and we will find the best way to improve public health management in your municipality.