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23-Jan-2017
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Arch Hellen Med, 34(1), January-February 2017, 91-99 ORIGINAL PAPER Investigation of the sociomedical infrastructure for health needs coverage in periods of economic crisis A. Goula, V. Giannopoulou, P. Magouli, M. Ntakou, N. Yfantopoulos |
OBJECTIVE Investigation of the work performed in social solidarity clinics-pharmacies and municipal clinics for patients from vulnerable social groups, and assessment of the degree of satisfaction of these patients with the services provided.
METHOD The study was conducted using two research approaches, qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative research was conducted using structured interviews with 6 responsible persons in the clinics. The quantitative research involved estimation of the degree of satisfaction of 229 respondents-patients with the health services provided by the social solidarity clinics-pharmacies and municipal clinics, using a 34-item questionnaire. The study was conducted over a 3-month period.
RESULTS The services provided in the social solidarity clinics-pharmacies and the municipal clinics consist of diagnostic tests and medical examinations and provision of medical supplies. The main categories of people served in the clinics are people with no insurance, poor, unemployed and elderly people with low income, and immigrants. The specific clinic-pharmacies studied serve 50 to 300 people weekly. The level of satisfaction of the patients regarding the medical staff, volunteers, drug availability, medical equipment and the clinic facilities ranged between 94.8% and 98.8%, demonstrating the high level of satisfaction of the respondents towards both the human resources and the health services provided in the social solidarity clinics-pharmacies and in the municipal clinics.
CONCLUSIONS The analytical and interpretative contribution of the present study extends beyond the confirmation of the quality of the provided services of the medical-social structures and the high degree of the patient satisfaction. It promotes the human-centered approach of practicing the medical profession through collective effort and voluntary work and highlights the holistic approach to the health of disadvantaged patients, supporting them at the socio-psychological and relational level through the establishment of new social values and perceptions towards work, profit and human behavior.
Key words: Municipality clinic, Social solidarity clinic, Social solidarity pharmacy, Volunteerism.Amikacin, Phlebotomy, Platelet aggregation, Platelet count, Platelets.
