OBJECTIVES: to characterize the specialized services offered in regional hospitals according to the type of care provided and their limitations. METHODS: a normative evaluation was carried out in ten regional hospitals in Pernambuco, by way of interviews with directors and doctors. Questions dealt with emergency/urgent care, care for women with high-risk pregnancies, the provision of complementary tests and elective surgery, and the types of professionals and hospital beds available. RESULTS: it was observed that the hospital care offered is not in conformity with the aims of the State Health Care Regionalization Model. Emergency/ urgent care mostly takes the form of clinical cases or low-complexity surgery, such as treatment for light wounds or appendectomies. Health care for pregnant women is restricted to deliveries without complications in most hospitals and there is a need to take on new staff (such as cardiologists and neurologists) in order to ensure that adequate care is provided. With regard to hospital beds, the highest ratio was 0.6 per 1.000 inhabitants at the Salgueiro Regional Hospital, with intensive care being concentrated in only three units. CONCLUSIONS: limitations with regard to infrastructure and work processes impair the provision of services and the functioning of regional hospitals and consequently have an impact on the care provided at the States regional health units.
Health evaluation; Regional health planning; Hospital care
