The crisis generated by the pandemic derived from COVID-19 in extreme contingency scenarios presents a terrible dilemma: first, it is to protect the health of citizens, although that can hibernate the economy and cause a reduction in income with unequal effects by socioeconomic gradient and by Regional Health Service.
In this sense, the Transversal Group in R + D + i in Health economics and health services management has obtained the concession of its project proposal “Stress or resistance test in the Cantabrian Health System, development of innovative digital technologies to model scenarios of greater health use and solutions of socio-economic and human impact against COVID-19” in the INN-VAL 2020 call of IDIVAL.
The study aims to explore various scenarios of increased health use and evaluate their effects and future compensations on the economic and social sustainability of Cantabria due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress or resistance tests are intended to demonstrate the solvency of the Cantabrian health sector in the face of a possible situation of general tension in its main key indicators. In addition, the costs (health and social) will be measured, based on the data available and the treatments for people diagnosed with COVID-19 (hospitalization and ICU, as well as cases of persistent COVID19 and sequelae).
In relation to the role that Primary Care must play in the post-confinement period, the Research Group is committed to prioritizing analysis and diagnosis. For this, from the perspective of geoprevention and spatial efficiency and equity, this project proposes to expand a Rapid Action Territorial Information System (SITAR-COVID19) to be used as a prevention tool and digital solution.
Finally, it should be noted that the socioeconomic impact and the need for resources may vary in the different patterns of health use and the strategies to be taken should consider possible compensations and needs. In addition, the interest from the strategic health perspective for Cantabria is fundamental, since it contributes to increasing efficiency in the use of available health resources, as well as facilitating the combination of alternative forms of treatment of the pending COVID-19 disease of the arrival of vaccines.
