The Servicio Murciano de Salud (SMS) presented Murcia steps towards outcome-focused management of healthcare provision. The occasion was the workshop “Taller Amphos Murcia”, where managers from the administration and quality teams, together with external partners, discussed measures for clinical outcomes and patient experiences. The aim is to systematically feed the data collected into management practice and decisions about care pathways.
According to the reports available, SMS managers, department and innovation leads, and representatives of the Sociedad Española de Directivos de la Salud (Sedisa) took part, including the Sedisa president for the Region of Murcia, who also heads the Área de Salud II . The event was organised in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company AbbVie and the consultancy World Health Management .
The central theme was a change of perspective: away from activity indicators such as the number of consultations or procedures, towards indicators that reflect the benefit actually achieved for patients. Standardised patient-reported surveys were discussed as tools, including PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures) and PREMs (Patient-Reported Experience Measures). Other topics included setting consistent minimum measures, standardising data collection and integrating the information into the electronic health record, so it can be used in treatment decisions and management.
Participants see systematic outcome measurement as an opportunity to improve comparability, transparency and targeted improvements in clinical processes. They also highlighted challenges: a reliable data base requires resources for IT integration, data quality, training and clear governance. Data protection and practical use in day-to-day care must also be ensured, so that data collection does not become mere bureaucracy.
The reports did not specify concrete deadlines, binding decisions or pilot projects already under way. The SMS is therefore positioning itself chiefly at a strategic level and preparing to align management systematically with measured outcomes and value for patients. As of 31 October, the SMS had not published official implementation plans or detailed technical specifications. Further progress will depend on developing the measurement frameworks, technical implementation and coordination within the regional health administration.
Editor: Clara Simonichek (Article created with AI assistance).