OBJECTIVE: To design an information system for the use of primary care professionals in the city of Barcelona's health districts, which breaks down the population and so assists the organisation of health care, identifies needs, establishes a monitoring system and evaluates the programmes set up. DESIGN: By consulting groups of experts. SETTING: Primary health care. PARTICIPANTS: Experts connected with primary care or with knowledge of community health measurement (general practitioners, paediatricians, public health technicians, primary care managers). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Discussion sessions defined the design of the information for the system. The information sources used needed to be accessible to the Municipal Health Institute of Barcelona (city roll of residents, population census, car, real estate, mortality, birth and vaccination registers and the register of notifiable diseases). An information system was designed with a population base which contributed information about community and health. CONCLUSIONS: The system designed broadens our knowledge of certain health determiners and of the health needs of the primary care team's catchment community. It can aid doctors' decision-making.
OBJECTIVE: To design an information system for the use of primary care professionals in the city of Barcelona's health districts, which breaks down the population and so assists the organisation of health care, identifies needs, establishes a monitoring system and evaluates the programmes set up. DESIGN: By consulting groups of experts. SETTING: Primary health care. PARTICIPANTS: Experts connected with primary care or with knowledge of community health measurement (general practitioners, paediatricians, public health technicians, primary care managers). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Discussion sessions defined the design of the information for the system. The information sources used needed to be accessible to the Municipal Health Institute of Barcelona (city roll of residents, population census, car, real estate, mortality, birth and vaccination registers and the register of notifiable diseases). An information system was designed with a population base which contributed information about community and health. CONCLUSIONS: The system designed broadens our knowledge of certain health determiners and of the health needs of the primary care team's catchment community. It can aid doctors' decision-making.