Information and Assessment Support for the Management of Region's Social Sphere (Based on the Case of Public Healthcare in Kuzbass)

Abstract

The importance of information and analytical activities in the management of the region's social sphere can hardly be overestimated since only those decisions will be efficient that rely on reliable and comprehensive data on the condition of the object of influence, trends in its development, possible directions for improvement, and feedback. A competent use of information in management requires that the methodological foundations of analytical and assessment processes be understood, in particular, the corresponding thesaurus. The study aims at systematizing the conceptual apparatus of the information and assessment support for the management of the region's social sphere and analyzing the condition and dynamics of healthcare as one of its key sectors. The paper focuses on the case of Kemerovo Region (Kuzbass). It interprets and systematizes such concepts as information, rate, parameter, indicator, criterion, and assessment. The empirical part of the study showed that the morbidity rate in Kuzbass has been above the nation level for the past 15 years and the data gap for this indicator is gradually increasing. This trend manifests itself against the background of higher values of infrastructure indicators and the load on nursing staff. True, the workload on medical doctors in the region is above the corresponding parameter at the national level. Sociological assessments show an increase in self-esteem of the population's health, but satisfaction with the health care system in the region has been, and remains, low. The data confirm the necessity and expediency of using statistical and sociological assessments in analyzing the current condition and, most importantly, identifying problems and ways to improve the sectors of the social sphere in the region.