CIS - Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas

• The Health Barometer for the third wave of 2024 indicates that the level of satisfaction with the public health system stands at 6.1 points.
• The population places the 061/112 services and assistance to patients admitted to public hospitals, with 7.31 and 7.13 points, respectively, as the best valued services.
• Almost 39% of the general population perceives that they do not receive the same services depending on the autonomous community of residence, and 35.5% also consider that treatment is unequal depending on each person's handling of new technologies.

The latest Health Barometer conducted by the CIS (National Institute of Statistics and Census) and the Ministry of Health indicates that user satisfaction with primary care has grown to 84.2%. The aspects most highly valued by patients continue to be the trust and security conveyed by both the nursing and medical staff (8.13 and 7.89 out of 10, respectively). This percentage has increased compared to the third wave in 2023 (80.9%) and also to 2022 (79.9%).

According to this survey, conducted since 1993 by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), with 2,440 interviews in each wave, 80.3% of people aged 18 and over had seen a primary care physician in the public health system in the last year, and 19.7% were seen by telephone at their last consultation.

The same positive assessment is observed among those who have used other healthcare services in the last year: 81.5% of patients rate specialist consultations as positive, and more than 90% of patients rate the care they receive as good or very good.

The Barometer also indicates that 54.6% of the general population positively assesses the functioning of healthcare in Spain. Regarding the public healthcare system, satisfaction, measured on a scale of 1 to 10, stands at 6.1 points. The 061/112 services and patient care in public hospitals, with 7.31 and 7.13 points, respectively, are the highest-rated by public opinion.

The population as a whole gives 6.22 points to primary care in October 2024, and specialist care consultations stand at 5.80 points.

Thus, while the care received is positively assessed by those using the services, the general population's perception is less positive, both in primary care and in specialized outpatient clinics. The decline in this assessment observed after the pandemic in public opinion appears to have stabilized, and has been especially notable in primary care, which was previously one of the services most highly rated by citizens, with a score of 7.3 out of 10.

Equity and accessibility

This year, 2024, the Health Barometer has reintroduced a question about the population's perception of equal treatment in public healthcare based on various aspects.

Nearly 38.4% of the general population perceives that services are not received equally depending on the autonomous community in which they live, and 35.5% believe that inequalities also exist depending on each person's use of new technologies.

Socioeconomic status, age, and origin of the people served are the areas where the greatest equality in treatment is perceived. The results are similar to those obtained in the second wave of 2024 in all response categories and in all cases exceed 75%.

Regarding the territorial factor, 50% of the population perceived in 2019 that the services provided by public healthcare were equal regardless of the autonomous community in which they reside, while in 2024 this percentage will fall below 45%. This decrease, of almost 6 percentage points, is accompanied by an increase in those who perceive territorial inequality, which has gone from 24.5% in 2019 to 38.8% currently, mainly due to a decrease in the percentage of people who previously had no clear opinion on this issue.

Regarding accessibility, the Barometer indicates that 21.2% of those who made an appointment with their primary care physician were seen on the same day or the next day (in 2019, it was 43%). The rest had an average wait time of 8.9 days, a slight decrease compared to 2023 (9.12 days).

Waiting lists at the specialized level have worsened in the last year, according to 38% of the population. Regarding the criteria that should be taken into account when prioritizing care for people awaiting surgery, 57.2% believe medical criteria should be taken into account first, and 24.2% believe the impact of the disease on the patient's autonomy.

Mental health

This edition of the Health Barometer explores for the first time some aspects related to the care of mental health problems. In October 2024, 17.6% of respondents reported having needed to consult a healthcare professional in the past 12 months for a mental health problem or psychological or emotional distress.

46.4% reported having received care primarily through public healthcare, 46.6% through private healthcare, and 2.1% through both.

Among those treated in the public health system, 41% reported that they were primarily seen by their family doctor, 33% by a psychiatric specialist, and 17.6% by a psychologist. 33.8% received an appointment within 30 days, 36.7% within 1 to 3 months, and another 20.4% received more than 3 months to receive a consultation.

84.2% of people treated in the public health system report being satisfied with the care they received during their visit, and 48.2% report having received better care than they expected. No significant changes have been observed compared to the results obtained in the second wave of 2024.

Vaccines

Vaccination acceptance in our country is high. The level of agreement with the protective effects of vaccines is very high, both for the person vaccinated (88.7%) and for the people they live with (89.4%). However, 37% of people believe (strongly agree or agree) that they cause adverse health effects. 85.9% state that they follow the recommendations of healthcare professionals regarding vaccination.

Knowledge and use of technologies

58.8% of those interviewed reported having some type of electronic certificate for conducting public administration procedures, and only 1.1% were unaware of what it was. This indicator is relevant since access to the interoperable NHS medical record and, in most cases, to regional medical records, requires a personal electronic certificate.

41.9% have accessed their electronic medical records, compared to 58% of those interviewed who have never accessed them: 34.8% of them were unaware of this possibility, and 21% do not know or cannot use the Internet.

59.4% of respondents know they can pick up medications prescribed by the public health system outside their autonomous community thanks to the NHS's interoperable electronic prescription system, and 46.8% of them have used this service. In contrast, 56% of respondents are unaware that doctors in one autonomous community can electronically consult a patient's medical records in another autonomous community when they need care.

Regarding the diversification of patient-care provider relationships, 56.3% of people seen in primary care have had a telephone consultation in the last 12 months. 68.1% of them express satisfaction with this system, although only 7.8% believe it should be the most common method for consulting with their primary care physician, and 26.3% state that all consultations should be in person.

Press release