D-Notícias

The data recorded by the computerised monitoring system of the United Through the Cure policy show that public-private partnerships can help strengthen public policies.  The main outcomes of this initiative, ten months after its implementation, are presented in Informative Bulletin Nº3: 

39 healthcare clinics used the Referral Card, referring 104 children with suspected childhood cancers;

95 children were seen at the Investigation Hub Hospitals.

150 physicians were trained in detecting suspected cases of childhood cancers.

 

This Bulletin also spotlights the main challenges to be surmounted for fine-tuning this policy: access to imaging examination and expansion of the Central Nervous System Tumour care network are just two of them.

The computerised system set up under the United Through the Cure policy is designed to:

Streamline active searches for children not turning up for consultations;

Tell the Investigation Hubs Hospitals how many children have been referred for treatment each day;

Monitor the flow of referral cards from suspect cases at primary care clinics through to referral to the reference centres;

Clear up doubts and accept suggestions for improvements through frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Another major challenge is to ensure that work routines make good use of the reports produced by the computerised system.  The hub hospitals, physicians, tutors and managers can access data on referrals by the primary care clinics, which can in turn monitor the outcome of suspected cases.  To do so, the Members of the Strategic Committee -   the decision-taking tier of the United Through the Cure public policy – and Unit Heads may request an access password for the system.