National Health System Indicators and Strategic Priorities

Key Indicators and Strategies of the National Health System

1 Key Indicators of the National Health Service

The key indicators represent a set of NHS priority data covering the most critical aspects of the Spanish health system. This framework was developed in collaboration with the Autonomous Communities, aligned with the European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) project established by the European Commission in 2007.

These indicators relate to the following areas:

• Population demographics
• Health status and its determinants
• Supply of resources
• Healthcare activity
• Quality of care
• Public spending
• Citizen satisfaction

This database serves as a foundational product with significant potential to benefit the NHS.

2 Fields of Action and Strategies of the NHS

• Health and Prevention: Protecting public health and promoting healthy lifestyles.
• Equity: Promoting health policies based on best practices and comparative analysis to reduce health inequities.
• Quality of the NHS Plan: Ensuring the adequacy of human resources to meet healthcare needs.
• Clinical Excellence: Evaluating technologies and clinical procedures. This includes the accreditation and auditing of healthcare centers, improving patient safety, and enhancing care standards.
• Information and Communications (eHealth): Implementing user identification, digital medical records, pharmaceutical services, digital scheduling, and transparency.
• Distance Treatments: Designing a reliable, timely, and accessible information system for the SNS.

The SNS provides access to modern medicine with high levels of quality, equity, and economic efficiency. It is widely considered the premier Spanish public service due to its advanced technology, human capital, and extensive network accessibility. While it remains the most visible component of the Spanish social protection system, it is an incomplete welfare state, as it has yet to efficiently integrate dependency care.