Abstract

ACOSTA HERNANDEZ, Reinaldo R; CARBALLAR ALBERTERIES, Liuber; GARCIA ESTIVEN, Adelaida  and  HERNANDEZ DUARTE, María Julia. What can a rheumatologist do in primary health care. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2008, vol.24, n.2, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3038.

INTRODUCTION: rheumatology is an eminently hospital specialty that has had a beneficial approach to primary health care in various countries. OBJECTIVE: to analyze the behavior of the rheumatology consultations in primary health care and their influence on hospital attention. METHODS: a descriptive, prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted among 1 000 patients seen at the outpatient department during 6 months. The following variables were systematically collected: age, sex, color of the skin, new cases, reconsultations and diagnosis. The percentages, the measures of frequency, centralization, dispersion and the reconsultation/new cases rate were determined. RESULTS: 1 222 consultations were carried out and the first 1 000 registers of our database were analyzed. 41.9 % were first visits and 58.1 % were reconsultations. The 3 most frequent consulted diseases were: osteoarthritis (22.9 %), rheumatisms of soft tissues (21 %) and rheumatoid arthritis (13.3 %), with a predominance of them over connectivopathies (2.1 %). The incidence rate by rheumatic diseases was 2.5 and that of prevalence was 6.2 x 1 000 inhabitants. Average age was 49.4 years old, DS 17.3 years old, with predominance of females in 71.6 % and white color of the skin in 83.5 %. CONCLUSIONS: the rheumatological consultations in primary health care alleviate the hospital services, which should devote more time to the follow-up of systemic rheumatic diseases.

Keywords : Rheumatology; primary health care; visits.

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