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Public health management in Panama demands a transition towards efficient community models, overcoming the traditional biomedical vision. The objective of this study is to analyze the importance of research as a strategic tool for social management in the Social Work departments of the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health. Through a documentary-bibliographic methodology with a qualitative approach and descriptive-analytical level, fundamental regulations such as the Sanitary Code of 1947, Law 16 of 2009, and Law 364 of 2023 were examined, contrasting them with technical reports such as the IESM. The results reveal a critical structural disconnection: although the legal framework empowers the social worker to research, plan, and manage, institutional practice remains anchored in bureaucratic and welfare models that underutilize this potential. A lack of standardized social information systems was identified, forcing a "blind" management that perpetuates inequity in resource distribution and hinders psychiatric deinstitutionalization. It is concluded that the lack of operational research prevents the generation of public value and adaptation to new social demands. As a contribution, a Knowledge Management Model is proposed to institutionalize operational research, standardize data collection through a Unique Social File, and train human talent to transform public health management towards decision-making based on scientific and social evidence.
Este obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.
