OBJECTIVES: Analysis of the measurement of efficiency including healthcare outcomes in primary healthcare centres and the influence of the quality of pharmacy prescription in a health district of the Valencian Community (Spain).

METHODS: Data envelopment analysis with output orientation and variable returns to scale is used to assess the efficiency using panel data over a 5 year-period (2015 – 2019). Inputs included are rates per 10,000 inhabitants of: physicians, nurses and pharmacy costs; as outputs the rates per 10,000 inhabitants of: avoidable hospitalizations, avoidable mortality and the quality indicator of pharmacy prescription; and as exogenous variable: percentage of people over 80 years.

A linear regression is subsequently used to evaluate the influence of the quality of pharmacy prescription on the efficiency scores.

RESULTS: Just 3 of the 18 centres are efficient in all years, while 8 centres are always inefficient. The rest of them are efficient only in some of the years under study. No clear evolution of the efficiency scores can be observed, some primary healthcare centres improving their performance over the period assessed while others worsen.

The linear regression model shows as significant variables the rates of nurses, avoidable hospitalizations and avoidable mortality, as well as the quality indicator of pharmacy prescription and the percentage of people over 80 years, with an adjusted R² of 59%. The most influential variable in the model was the quality indicator of pharmacy prescription with a standardised beta coefficient of 0.409.

CONCLUSIONS: Efficiency analysis is useful as a managerial tool in terms of resource allocation, since the DEA allows the analysis of the inefficiencies of the primary healthcare centres. The quality indicator of pharmacy prescription is the most important factor influencing the efficiency evaluation.