Background
To analyse the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and the lockdown measures on the follow-up and control of chronic diseases in primary care.
Methods
Retrospective study in 288 primary care practices (PCP) of the Catalan Institute of Health. We analysed the results of 34 indicators of the Healthcare quality standard (EQA), comprising different types: treatment (4), follow-up (5), control (10), screening (7), vaccinations (4) and quaternary prevention (4). For each PCP, we calculated each indicator’s percentage of change in February, March and April 2020 respective to the results of the previous month; and used the T-Student test for paired data to compare them with the percentage of change in the same month of the previous year. We defined indicators with a negative effect those with a greater negative change or a lesser positive change in 2020 in comparison to 2019; and indicators with a positive effect those with a greater positive change or a lesser negative change.
Results
We observed a negative effect on 85% of the EQA indicators in March and 68% in April. 90% of the control indicators had a negative effect, highlighting the control of LDL cholesterol with a reduction of − 2.69% (95%CI − 3.17% to − 2.23%) in March and − 3.41% (95%CI − 3.82% to − 3.01%) in April; and the control of blood pressure with a reduction of − 2.13% (95%CI − 2.34% to − 1.9%) and − 2.59% (95%CI − 2.8% to − 2.37%). The indicators with the greatest negative effect were those of screening, such as the indicator of diabetic foot screening with a negative effect of − 2.86% (95%CI − 3.33% to − 2.39%) and − 4.13% (95%CI − 4.55% to − 3.71%) in March and April, respectively. Only one vaccination indicator, adult Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine, had a negative effect in both months. Finally, among the indicators of quaternary prevention, we observed negative effects in March and April although in that case a lower inadequacy that means better clinical outcome.
Conclusions
The COVID-19 epidemic and the lockdown measures have significantly reduced the results of the follow-up, control, screening and vaccination indicators for patients in primary care. On the other hand, the indicators for quaternary prevention have been strengthened and their results have improved.
Background
eConsulta is a tele-consultation service involving doctors and patients, and is part of Catalonia's public health information technology system. The service has been in operation since the end of 2015 as an adjunct to face-to-face consultations. A key factor in understanding the barriers and facilitators to the acceptance of the tool is understanding the sociodemographic characteristics of general practitioners who determine its use.
Objective
This study aimed to analyze the sociodemographic factors that affect the likelihood of doctors using eConsulta.
Methods
A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of administrative data was used to perform a multivariate logistic regression analysis on the use of eConsulta in relation to sociodemographic variables.
Results
The model shows that the doctors who use eConsulta are 45-54 years of age, score higher than the 80th percentile on the quality of care index, have a high degree of accessibility, are involved in teaching, and work on a health team in a high socioeconomic urban setting.
Conclusions
The results suggest that certain sociodemographic characteristics associated with general practitioners determine whether they use eConsulta. These results must be taken into account if its deployment is to be encouraged in the context of a public health system.
A Stein-Leventhal ovary from a 23-year-old virilized woman who was excreting a normal amount of 17-ketosteroids incubated with acetate-l-14C formed testosterone-14C.The possibility that certain types of hirsutism, end even virilism in women, may be due to a small increase in testosterone production insufficient to produce a significant increase in urinary 17\ x=r eq-\ ketosteroids is discussed.
An 11 year old male with Klinefelter syndrome and precocious puberty showed an XY/XXY/XXXY chromosomal constitution in his peripheral blood. The meiotic non-disjunction considered as responsible for the syndrome is probably of maternal origin as suggested by the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase levels. It is difficult to decide whether the relationship between the two disorders is casual or not. The effects of longacting progesterone on the patient are described.
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