Call for tender for project: Grants for Health Research and Development Projects. Basque Government Department of Health. 2024 call

Funding body: Basque Government Department of Health

Record no.: 2024111101

IP: Amaia Bilbao

Funding awarded: €77.623,74

Description: Understanding and optimising the structure of primary care (PC) seems essential to achieving positive and sustainable health outcomes in local communities, thus ensuring informed and evidence-based decision-making in health system planning and financing.

Therefore, the main objective of this study is to assess the association between the strength of PC, defined by its process characteristics, and total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality and hospitalisations for PC-sensitive conditions (ACSC) in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Objectives:

To evaluate the association between the strength of primary care (PC), in terms of its process characteristics, and total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality and hospitalisations for PC-sensitive conditions (ACSC) in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Specific objectives:

• To evaluate the association between the longitudinality of care by the same family doctor in health centres in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country and total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality and hospitalisations for ACSC.
• Identify which factors related to accessibility in health centres in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country are associated with total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality and hospitalisations for ACSC.
• To study the association between the comprehensiveness of care in health centres in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country and total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality and hospitalisations for ACSC.
• Analyse whether the potential association between PC characteristics and total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality and hospitalisations for ACOGs differs across social strata and for outcomes in men and women in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Expected results: The study will enable us to identify characteristics of primary care provision in the Basque Country that are clearly associated with better health outcomes and to identify critical points in the care provided by family doctors in primary care. It will also enable us to identify whether there are differences according to socioeconomic status and gender. Its potential impact is the use of this information to improve decision-making in the planning and organisation of primary care services, thus contributing to the optimisation of medical care, reducing disparities in access to and care in primary care and, consequently, improving patient health and the quality and efficiency of the services provided by our healthcare system.