Tiempos de Espera en Psicología Clínica de las Unidades de Salud Mental Públicas: Predictores de Asistencia a Primera Consulta y Abandono Temprano
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Palabras clave

Clinical psychology
Primary care
Waiting lists
Attendance
Dropout Psicología clínica
Atención primaria
Listas de espera
Asistencia
Abandono

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Miras-Aguilar, M. del M., Ruiz-Gutiérrez, J., Martínez-Gómez, S., Pérez-GarcíaAbad, S., Ramos-Barrón, C., Pariente-Rodrigo, E., Piñán-Setién, L., Otero-Cabanillas, N., Priede, M. I., & González-Blanch, C. (2026). Tiempos de Espera en Psicología Clínica de las Unidades de Salud Mental Públicas: Predictores de Asistencia a Primera Consulta y Abandono Temprano. Psicothema, 38(1), 13–22. Recuperado a partir de https://reunido.uniovi.es/index.php/PST/article/view/24311

Resumen

Antecedentes: Las listas de espera en salud mental son un problema creciente. Este estudio analiza su impacto en la asistencia y el abandono temprano del tratamiento en el área de salud de Santander del Sistema Nacional de Salud español. Método: Se realizó un estudio observacional retrospectivo con 2.765 pacientes derivados desde Atención Primaria a cuatro Unidades de Salud Mental durante 2021. Se aplicaron regresiones logísticas para analizar la influencia de los tiempos de espera en la asistencia a la primera cita y el abandono temprano, y curvas ROC para identificar puntos de corte óptimos. Resultados: La mediana del tiempo de espera fue de 51 días para la primera cita y 35 entre la primera y segunda. Asistieron a la primera cita el 84,6%, siendo más probable en mujeres, personas de mayor edad, con incapacidad laboral y menor tiempo de espera. El abandono temprano (15,8%) se asoció con mayor tiempo entre consultas, ser hombre y menor edad. El poder discriminativo de los puntos de corte fue pobre. Conclusiones: Los tiempos de espera exceden las recomendaciones y afectan la continuidad del tratamiento. Se requieren reformas estructurales y más recursos humanos para mejorar el acceso y la efectividad de la atención psicológica.

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