The sheer amount of patient files.
That is what caught me when visiting the Costa Rica general hospital of Este. You know the feeling when you have a book or movie collection on a shelf that is almost full, but you are sure you can fit one more in there if you really want? So with the motivation of not owning a second shelf at your back, you push and shove until finally, it fits! But it would be simply impossible to fit anything else on it, until the next one.
This feeling describes Costa Rica’s filing system. They. Just. Never. Stopped.
The rooms they use are simply packed to the brim; Each with shelves as tall as possible and claustrophobically close together. On the shelves, more flies than one could possibly sort through in a lifetime jut out at odd angles. One of my new friends from the trip described looking at the room as “I now have anxiety.” Yet, the room continues to function. I saw a doctor walk in and get patient records. He has my respect. Why bring this up? I think the filing system of Este Hospital is indicative of the country’s public health system.
Costa Rica simply does not have the resources to take care of as many people as they want to. The healthcare system is just only so big. But the doctors, staff, and administration will be damned if they cannot squeeze every last inch of space out of it. The average hospital room in the US has 1-2 patients. Rooms in Costa Rica have 6-8. Nothing is wasted and everything is rationed. The government will fight citizens on their need to use meds because they need to save them for those who actually are in need. They need to ration surgery, but only because they can only perform so many, everyone is treated fairly, the system is just slow. It prioritizes quantity over quality, without slipping far down the quality pole. It was surprising to see it up close.
Costa Rica does not have the perfect healthcare system, nor are its standards of care in all measures better than the United States. The true magic and lesson of the Costa Rican public healthcare system is how it does more with less. If the US was only half as efficient as Costa Rica, I can only imagine the healthcare feats we could accomplish.
In conclusion, I’m glad Costa Rica’s file system is going digital.
Looks like you are having some great opportunities. Interesting comments on the Costa Rican health system through the lens of the filing room. I am interested in health outcomes, and it looks like, on some indicators at least, Costa Rica is as good as, or better than, the U.S. http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/OECD-Reviews-of-Health-Systems-Costa-Rica-Assessment-and-recommendations.pdf
Enjoy the rest of your trip.