Implantação da gestão de processos em um serviço de saúde do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Planning, reviewing and monitoring the performance of organizations are vital actions to effective management. A new outpatient and laboratory unit at UFRN had process management based on quality. In order to develop and describe the unit's planning with a focus on quality, an action research was carried out in four phases: planning (bibliographic research and agreement), action (definitions and mapping), description (elaboration of protocols and training) and evaluation (patient satisfaction survey). The first three phases were carried out before the Unit was opened to the community. During its realization, mission, vision, strategic lines, organization chart were defined; and construction of protocols. About 15 operational protocols were previously developed and another ten when the public service was started, anticipated due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Ten protocols were implemented and professionals trained in practice. The patient satisfaction survey was answered by 97 users. The service provided was characterized as very satisfactory by 64.3% of these, satisfactory by 21.4%, indifferent by 1%, unsatisfactory by 1% and very unsatisfactory by 12.2%. The debate with the leaders on the concepts of quality in the planning phase for opening to the public was significant in the organization of ideas, as it allowed the design of the processes to be fluid and consistent. The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a new demand for UFRN's social commitment, which prompted the opening of the unit. Thus, action research was an adequate method to structure process management in the unit.