PAMPLONA: PINCHOS & PERITONITIS

Benjamin HeyenInternational Educational Experience4/15/16

SPAIN

Population: 46.7 million

Capitol: Madrid

Major cities: Barcelona, Valencia, Seville (Kansas City’s sister city)

2nd highest number of bars per inhabitants

Home of world's largest tomato fight

http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Spain/Map

PAMPLONA

Population: 196,000

Located in the mountainous, northern province of Navarra

Home of the annual Running of the Bulls festival in July

Pamplona's bull ring is 3rd largest in the world

http://photos.oregonlive.com/photo-essay/2012/07/running_of_the_bulls_in_pamplo.html

CLINICAL UNIVERSITY OF NAVARRA

Teaching hospital associated with the University of Navarra School of Medicine

Founded in 1962

Over 2,000 employed medical professionals plus numerous students

330 beds

Ranked in the Top 10 best hospitals in Spain

NATIONAL HEALTHCARE

Spain has a nationwide healthcare system that covers every citizen free of charge

Costs are deducted from social security payments that are deducted from wages

Access to any clinical appointment, emergency room visit or hospital admission is covered under the system

SPAIN'S HEALTH SYSTEM

Since learning about different healthcare models, I have always been intrigued about national healthcare and whether it would be more successful and productive

After talking with several health professionals, they all believe their system is effective

I was curious to learn more about the details of the system and health outcomes

CLINICAL APPOINTMENTS

Every citizen initially is seen by a primary care physician

One can make an appointment with any physician in the public system

Appointments are first come, first serve

A patient must be referred in order to be seen by a medical specialist

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE

If included in the national healthcare, one has access to all the public hospitals and clinics

The downside of the public system is the wait time

Depending on the appointment reason, a patient may have to wait up to a year to be seen or to schedule an elective surgery

People can purchase additional insurance, which gives them access to the private system

Through the private system, wait times are significantly reduced

EXPENSES

Nationwide costs are controlled because insurance companies are not vying for customers

Pharmaceutical costs are controlled

The cost of prescription medications are based on the patient's annual income

OUTCOMES

Spain spends only 10% of its GDP on healthcare

Consistently ranked in the Top 10 in Europe for number of doctors per patients

Life expectancy is ranked highly; specifically for women ranked 6th in the world (compared with 33rd for USA)

Spain also has the highest organ donation rate in the world due to their complex network of coordinators & opt-out system

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the USA, Spain spends less on healthcare and has better health outcomes

Life expectancy is among the highest in Europe and the world

The main problem is the wait time associated with the public system

There is not a struggle between health-based companies and insurances to provide better or more expensive care

MEDICAL EDUCATION

Medical school is 6 years

Starts immediately after high school

Much less responsibility while on clinical rotations compared with the USA

Students wear knee-length white coats like the residents & attendings

Students pick their residency specialty and location based on a single test after finishing school

International Congress for Oncology Students

CULTURE

Typical day in Spain

9 AM - Day starts

11 AM - Mid-morning breakfast

2 PM - Finish working

2-4 PM - Lunch break

4-7 PM - Possible classes or finishing work

8 PM - Dinner

REFERENCES

Interview: Dr. De La Torre

http://www.unav.edu/en/web/facultad-de-medicina

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282905.php

http://www.expatica.com/es/healthcare/Getting-healthcare-in-Spain_101467.html

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Spain/United-States/Health