Mobile Health Teams as a strategy to improve healthcare access, timeliness, and quality: evidence from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Abstract

This report assesses the strategy of Mobile Health Teams (Equipos de Salud Itinerantes, EsI) implemented in Buenos Aires Province between 2021 and 2023, focusing on their impact on healthcare access, timeliness of care, and quality. The study examines three EsI groups—neonatal cardiovascular surgeries, therapeutic apheresis, and head and neck surgeries—using quantitative and qualitative data from administrative records, surveys, and interviews. Variables analyzed include patient demand, waiting times, access barriers and facilitators, operational costs, user satisfaction, and perceptions of clinical effectiveness and patient-centered care. A cross-sectional design was combined with case series analysis, incorporating cost–benefit and patient-value metrics, as well as professional insights on work experience and motivation. Findings show that EsI reduced geographic and technical barriers to access, shortened waiting times, and expanded coverage in remote areas. Cost comparisons revealed greater efficiency than conventional alternatives, notably by lowering transportation and high-cost pharmacological expenses. Perceptions of clinical effectiveness and compassionate care strengthened trust in the health system. In conclusion, EsI proved to be an effective public health policy, integrating economic efficiency, technical capacity, and patient-centered care. The strategy promotes territorial equity and emerges as a socially just mechanism to reduce disparities and uphold the right to health in diverse and vulnerable contexts.