Impact of the primary care residents on the productivity of the ambulatory health centres in Portugal: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundThe presence of residents in Primary Care health centres may influence their operational results.AimTo examine the relationship between the presence of residents and the results of the evaluation in Portuguese Primary Care Health Centres.MethodsWe conduct a cross-sectional study, comparing the results achieved by the mainland Portuguese Primary Care Health Centres measured by the Global Performance Index (Índice de desempenho global – IDG) by the presence of General & Family Medicine residents in training. Analysis took into consideration the distribution by region and typology of the health centres.ResultsWe evaluated 906 units, 55.7% involved in the training of General & Family Medicine residence. The presence of residents was associated with higher Global Performance Index values (77.3 vs 57.6; p < 0.001). The higher difference was found in the less developed Personalized Health Care Units and in the region of Lisbon and Tagus Valley.ConclusionThe presence of residents in training is a contributing factor in the productivity of the Primary Health Care facilities. It may model the asymmetry in the performance of Portuguese Health Centres.