Revista Cubana de Medicina General Integral

Quality of care to the older adult population at the family physician´s office

servicios y la satisfacción de la población y sus prestadores. Cuba posee el 18,3 % de su población con 60 años y más, y tendencia al aumento en los años futuros. De ahí que se vaticine un incremento en los servicios de salud, situación que afecta su calidad, por lo que evaluar la atención que se presta en el nivel primario constituye una necesidad. Objetivo: evaluar la calidad del proceso de atención que se brinda a los ancianos en consultorios del médico de la familia. Métodos: investigación evaluativa, descriptiva y transversal en el municipio 10 de Octubre. Como fuente de información se empleó la historia clínica de los 100 pacientes seleccionadas en 10 consultorios de los policlínicos Luis Pasteur y Luis de la Puente Uceda, cuya información se obtuvo mediante un formulario validado. Resultados : el 31,2 % de las variables fueron evaluadas en la categoría de bueno, las restantes no alcanzaron el estándar. Conclusiones: la calidad del proceso de atención en el consultorio mostró insuficiencias de acuerdo con los estándares establecidos, lo que debe tenerse en cuenta para la mejora continua de la atención a este segmento de la población.

Introduction: population aging is a demographic and social problem worldwide and Cuba is not an exception. The Cuban health care system is aimed at raising the health standards, the quality of health services and the level of satisfaction of the population and its providers. Cuba has over 60 years-old adults accounting for 18.3% of its population, with an upward tendency in the future. As a result, an increase in health service demands has been foreseen, and this situation could affect quality, therefore, evaluating the health care service rendered at the primary level is a must. Objective: to evaluate the quality of health care rendered to the older people in family physician´s offices. Methods: evaluative, descriptive and cross-sectional research study carried out in 10 de Octubre municipality. The information source was the medical histories of 100 patients selected from 10 family physician´s offices under Luis Pasteur and Luis de la Puente Uceda polyclinics. The information was also collected with a validated form. Results: in the study, 31.2% of the variables were rated as good whereas the rest of them did not attain this standard. Conclusions: the quality of the health care process in the family physician´s office showed deficiencies, according to the set standards, which must be considered for the permanent improvement of the health service provided to this population sector.

Indicators for characterization of provinces according to the living conditions

Behaviour of the urinary infection and antimicrobial susceptiblity of the most common bacterium

Association of ultrasonographic prescription and findings at the diagnostic ultrasound service

Introduction: since the advent of ultrasound as diagnostic means in the primary health care, there has been an increase in the number of patients who are indicated ultrasonographic testing with no medical rationale proved by the clinical method. Objective: to find out the association of ultrasonographic study prescriptions and findings in the 2010-2011 period. Methods: cross-sectional descriptive research study on 6777 patients who received this service in the above-mentioned period. The variables were ultrasound prescription rationale, clinical data, physical exam, diagnostic print, indication assessment and ultrasonographic diagnosis. Results: in the second semester of 2010, 71.9% of ultrasonographic indications made by the family physicians were incomplete whereas this figure amounted to 87.6% in the first semester of 2011. The main difficulty in both periods was absence of the physical exam result in the ultrasound prescription. The fundamental diagnoses were weight estimation in obstetric ultrasounds, pregnancy detection and uterine myoma. Conclusions: family physicians are the ones who prescribe more ultrasound testings and a significant percentage of them show incomplete data.

Characterization of scientific publications on drug consumption

Characteristics of the medical formation in health promotion in Cuba and in Latin America

Impact of the diploma's course" Management of medical care" in the professional performance of the graduates

Knowledge about and behaviors in sexual health of Guatemalan native students residing in a rural community

Photoeducation: basic information

En las últimas décadas, a nivel mundial y en Cuba particularmente, ha aumentado de la incidencia de cáncer de piel, debido en gran medida a los cambios ambientales, sumado a nuevos patrones de belleza y a la desinformación existente en relación con el tema. El objetivo de este trabajo es aportar información elemental al médico no especialista en dermatología, y al personal de la salud en general, sobre la prevención del cáncer cutáneo.

In the last few decades, there has been an increase of skin cancer incidence worldwide and particularly in Cuba largely due to environmental changes in addition to new beauty patterns and lack of information about this topic. This article is a literature review that intends to provide the physician, who is not a specialist in dermatology questions, and the general health staff with the necessary information about the prevention of skin cancer

Ebola virus

En la actualidad, el panorama epidemiológico internacional se presenta con enfermedades infecciosas graves como el Ébola. Recientemente han ocurrido brotes en tres países del África Occidental, por lo que la Organización Mundial de la Salud ha insistido acerca del peligro que existe sobre la expansión y gravedad de esta epidemia. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica del tema con el objetivo de actualizar al médico sobre aspectos esenciales de la fiebre hemorrágica o enfermedad del Ébola. Los índices de letalidad se encuentran entre el 50 y 90 %, por lo que la Organización Mundial de la Salud hace énfasis en la importancia de la prevención mediante la higiene, lo que constituye un aspecto clave.

International epidemiological panorama at present witnesses the presence of serious infectious diseases such as Ebola that has given rise to outbreaks in three West African countries. There have been insistent warnings about the danger of this disease spread, which is a reality and the World Health Organization has recently stated once again the great scope and severity of this epidemics. A literature review on this topic was made to update the physician´s knowledge about the essential aspects of the Ebola hemorrhagic fever or disease. The lethality rates range 50 to 90%, so the World Health Organization has emphasized the importance of prevention through hygienic measures, a key aspect in this battle.

Pruritus in a diabetic patient, is an indicator of target organ damage?

Se presenta el caso de un varón diabético e hipertenso de 71 años de edad, que tiene prurito generalizado, de probable etiología urémica, a consecuencia de un rápido deterioro de la función renal. Una vez modificado el tratamiento, con mejoría del filtrado glomerular y de los niveles de urea en sangre, la clínica desaparece y el paciente permanece asintomático.

A seventy-one years-old diabetic and hypertensive male patient with generalized pruritus, probably of uremic etiology, as a result of a rapid deterioration of renal function was presented. After changing the treatment, with improvement in glomerular filtration rate and blood urea levels, clinical signs disappeared and the patient remains asymptomatic.

Buschke- Lowenstein Giant Condyloma

Legionnaires’ disease

La legionelosis es una enfermedad bacteriana de origen ambiental, con presentación en el ámbito comunitario y hospitalario. De distribución mundial, puede acontecer en forma de brotes y casos aislados o esporádicos. En el estudio se hace un recorrido histórico de la identificación del agente biológico causante (Legionella spp.) y de los principales eventos que condujeron a su descubrimiento. Asimismo, se describen los principales brotes acaecidos desde el inicio de la definición de la enfermedad, la incidencia de ésta última y su importancia relativa a la vigilancia y prevención.

Legionelosis is a bacterial disease of environmental origin present at community and hospital settings. It may appear worldwide in the form of isolated or sporadic outbreaks. A historical account of the identification of the causative biological agent (Legionella spp.) and the main events leading to the discovery was made. Likewise, the main outbreaks from the definition of the disease, its incidence to the importance of surveillance and prevention were all described.