How to Guarantee Quality in the Organization of Care in East Timor: A Nursing View

Introduction: This study analyzes the quality of nurses' work in East Timor, using Donabedian's nursing quality model, which assesses structural, procedural and outcome dimensions. The Timorese health system, centered on Primary Health Care (PHC), faces significant challenges, such as a shortage of health professionals and a lack of adequate infrastructure. However, important advances have been made, such as the training of human resources and the implementation of community health programs, with the collaboration of international organizations. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze nurses' perceptions of the organization of nursing care in East Timor, identifying the conditions necessary to guarantee the quality of the service and the impact of public policies in this context. Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive, correlational and exploratory study was carried out with 310 nurses in East Timor, using a structured questionnaire. The independent variables analyzed were sociodemographic characteristics and the dependent variables: conditions facilitating quality work; nature of the work and activities performed by nurses; needs for improvement in nurses' work; weaknesses in nurses' work. Results: The results showed that PHC is the basis of the health system, serving most of the population. Standards of practice are considered essential for the quality of healthcare provided, with 42.9% of nurses considering them “very important”. Collaboration between professionals is highlighted by 44.2% of respondents as crucial. In addition, 49.7% say that graduate training is fundamental to improving the quality of healthcare. Conclusion: The study highlights the urgent need to improve the quality of nursing care in East Timor, through investments in continuing education, improvements in infrastructure and the implementation of public policies that respond more effectively to the needs of the population. Collaboration between professionals and active community participation are also key to strengthening the health system. These results suggest that, despite progress, further improvement is needed to ensure the effectiveness and safety of health services.