The use of the Delphi Method adjusted to evaluate the Stork Network: from Image-objective to Reality

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to evaluate the Stork Network (SN), a new pattern of intergovernmental program. The method was applied through the adjusted Delphi Method, with 13 specialists. It was constituted in 3 moments. A Logical Model (LM) was elaborated, with the purpose of showing the design of the actions of the program and its main components. By consensus the Delphi Matrix of Concordance with the proposal of the Goal Image was elaborated and validated. Finally, this Matrix was used as an instrument to evaluate the degree of implementation of the program. The results show that SN is classified in the Unsatisfactory Level, in the III Macro-regional Health in Pernambuco, corroborating the irrelevance of initiatives developed to strengthen the program. It is concluded that the application of this Delphi Method was consistent with the complexity of the object, given the lack of specific models for this purpose based on new institutional relations in the regionalization of the Unified Health System (SUS, acronym in Portuguese). This study showed its implications for nursing practice in the search for solutions for patient safety in maternal and child health care, pointing out the indispensability of these professionals to make SN more effective, especially in the face of a vulnerable and disadvantaged population in the interior of the semi-arid region, in an adverse political-economic scenario.