[Operational planning of health services: How do we make it possible?] / Planificación operativa en servicios sanitarios: ¿cómo lo hacemos posible?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The Catalan Health Service carries out the operational planning of service delivery and organization. The goal is to describe the methodology and procedure followed to perform these functions. METHODS: The process of operational planning in healthcare services (OPHS) is continuous, dynamic, participatory, objective, and adaptable. OPHS can be divided into three stages prior to implementation and evaluation: Service delivery planning, Organization of healthcare resources, and Procurement planning. RESULTS: Three examples of projects are presented following the POSS framework. It is essential to adapt the process to the characteristics of each project. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed framework is useful to achieve high quality and equity in access to services.

[Perception of healthcare professionals on the Breast Cancer Screening Programme in Barcelona]. / Percepción de los profesionales de salud sobre el Programa de Detección Precoz del Cáncer de Mama en Barcelona.

OBJECTIVE: A good communication plan is vital for optimal results in any screening programme. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, involvement and opinion of health professionals regarding the Breast Cancer Screening Programme in Barcelona in 2008. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study using an anonymous and self-administered questionnaire. The study population (N = 960) were health professionals from Primary Health-care (PH), Programs for Sexual and Reproductive Health (PSRH), and Community Pharmacies (CP). The dependent variables were: knowledge of the Programme, professional involvement and opinion of the Programme. The independent variables were: sex, age, qualifications, employment status, and health team. A descriptive and bivariate analysis was performed. Using multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for age, an Odds Ratios (OR) were obtained along with the 95% confidence intervals (CI 95%). RESULTS: PSRH professionals know the target population better; 80.2% versus 26.1% PH, and 14.0% CP, respectively. Professional involvement was related to the health care team (ORCP/PH: 0.32, CI 95%: 0.22-0.43) being observed more in PH. The opinion on the Programme in reducing breast cancer mortality was similar in the three teams (61.6% PH, 59.3% PSRH, and 56.5% CP). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals are unaware of some aspects of Programme, such as age range or periodicity. There is great professional involvement and belief that the Programme has helped disseminate information and knowledge on the early detection of breast cancer.