Original scientific paper

Differences in the organisation and functioning public health nurse service between rural and urban regions in Croatia

Dobrislav Šimić ; Ordinacija obiteljske medicine "Dr. Dobrislav Šimić", Bednja
Zvonimir Bendeković ; Dom zdravlja Varaždinske županije, Ordinacija obiteljske medicine Lepoglava
Mladenk Vrcić Keglević ; Zaklada za razvoj obiteljske medicine, Zagreb

Abstract

Aim: The main aim of this study was to investigate if there are any differences in the number and the daily work structure of a public health nurse (PHN) in rural, semi-rural and urban regions in Croatia.
Methods: According to the Strategy for the Development of Rural Regions, 14 counties belong to the rural, six to semi-rural, and only the City of Zagreb to urban regions. Data on the number of PHN, their education and the number of visits were collected from the Croatian Health Service Yearbooks, 1995-2014.
Results: The number of PHN in Croatia increased during the observed period as well as the percentages of PHC with college education. Those numbers are lower in rural regions in comparison to urban ones, while the average numbers of total visits are always higher in rural regions. The average number of visits to pregnant women is also higher in rural and semi-rural regions. The annual number of visits to post-partum women and to new-born babies shows an increased trend, independently of the regions. The annual number of visits to the babies has decreased in urban regions, while it is slightly increasing in rural and semi-rural regions. The annual number of visits to chronic patients is stable in urban regions, but it has increased two times in rural and semi-rural regions.
Conclusions: Besides certain improvements, the obtained results indicate that PHN service in Croatian rural regions is still less available to patients and PHN are overburdened with the number of visits.

Keywords

public health nurse; visits; rural and urban regions; Croatia

Hrčak ID:

159832

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/159832

Publication date:

7.6.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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