EFFECT OF THE SEX OF FRONT-DESK WORKERS ON PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM ACCESS BY MEN IN RORAIMA, BRAZIL

The aim of the study was to determine whether the sex of the front-desk personnel at public healthcare centres influences the access to healthcare resources by men in Boa Vista. We sought to determine whether there was an association between the number of male and female front-desk personnel present at the healthcare centres and the number of appointments made by male patients of different age groups. Data were collected regarding the number of appointments made by male and female patients aged ?40 years over a one year’s period, and the number and sex distribution of the front-desk personnel at 32 different healthcare centres in Boa Vista. The centres were divided according to the proportion of male and female front-desk personnel. The findings revealed that the number of appointments made by male patients was significantly lesser than that of female patients. Our results showed that the appointments made by male patients were considerably higher in the centres where the number of male and female personnel was equal, as compared to the centres where the number of female personnel was higher. The results verified the known data that the access of public health resources by men is lesser than that by women. It also provided a valuable insight to an important barrier to healthcare access by men.