Face-to-face care returns to health centers in Córdoba but without significant delays

Patients at the entrance to the Fuensanta Health Center.
Manuel Murillo

In the health centers Andalusia and Cordoba Returned this Friday to Full attendance at primary care consultations. Since before summer, in most health centers you can already choose Telephone or face to face service Family doctor or pediatrician when requesting an appointment, but from this point on the possibility should definitely be there.

However, now that doctors and patients are seeing each other more frequently than during the pandemic, which has been a frequent complaint among users, who did not want only phone consultations, delay in getting an appointment, Which is especially sharp on vacation, is now The main reason for the complaint among users, Who did this newspaper talk to?

In a survey conducted by this newspaper a little over two weeks ago, it was found that in a large number of health centers in the capital, when you were going to make an appointment by phone or online for your family doctor or pediatrician. There was up to 14 days of waiting, Especially if you want to get personal assistance, the delay can be reduced from 3 to 10 days if the appointment is by phone, but not always.

This newspaper came back on Friday to try to schedule a doctor’s appointment at the same health centers and the wait for a face-to-face consultation lasted about a week or two and there was a little less delay on the phone. In some cases, through the Internet or the Salud Responde application, there was only the option to request a telephone consultation or it was not even possible to request it, leaving a message ‘No date can be set for a future date’ Refer the applicant to go to his health center if he deems that his condition cannot wait.

Advantages of phone support

Family doctor and secretary College of Physicians of CordobaRosa Marin notes that although telephone counseling has been a major advance in preventing users from filling waiting rooms to collect a low fraction or analysis result, to give two examples of the benefit of counseling not in person, “the delay in getting an appointment is an issue that was already there.” Before the pandemic, but it has worsened today, so it’s the most urgent thing to solve.”

Host Consultation Evaluation

according to Host Consultation, which was implemented in health centers during the epidemic and which will be maintained by the Andalusian Health Service (SAS), the majority of users with whom this newspaper spoke consider it positive, because it allows this if the delay in scheduling the appointment is for several days and the health problem that the person suffers is aware of this user that he can’t wait, This patient can go to his health center without an appointment And by going to a reception consultation, you may need nursing care, you will be referred to a doctor or an appointment will be made in fewer days.

Marin added that the significant delay is also affected by the fact that, due to the direct or indirect consequences of the virus, “any health issue is being consulted and more and more appointments are requested.”

On Friday, this newspaper tried, in vain, to know the assessment of the Cordoba-Guadalquivir region regarding a return to a full presence in health centers.