Abstract
Purpose: The aim of the paper is to support the improvement of the design and management of distribution processes of health technologies, evaluating performance to understand the aspects of the service that affect the level of patient satisfaction, considering a real-life healthcare service (the absorbent devices for incontinence in the Piedmont Region (Italy)).
Methods: The following quantitative data were collected, with reference to the year 2020: (i) number of patients; (ii) volume of delivered devices; (iii) total costs of delivered absorbent. Authors also designed an on-line survey to gather patient perceptions about the organization of distribution of health technologies and related models.
Results: The results showed that the cost of devices per patient was higher than about 40% in the mixed distribution model (i.e. the coexistence of home delivery regulated by regional tender and distribution through territorial pharmacies/private shops regulated by convention regimen), but a greater number of devices are supplied to incontinence patients in that model. The results of the survey (721 respondents) about the level of satisfaction of the adopted distribution models demonstrated a general satisfaction with the organization of the service, although the mixed model seemed to be more appreciated.
Conclusions: A contribution of this manuscript was to investigate the topic of quality of care in the primary care setting, which was a research area that had received scarce attention until now, but as important for the future sustainability of healthcare system.