Do primary care physicians require training in core clinical dermatology? A cross sectional needs assessment study from Western India.

BACKGROUND: Primary care physicians play a crucial role in managing patients with common skin disorders who form around one-third of outpatient attendees. AIM: This study aimed to assess the need for dermatology training among primary care physicians by assessing their knowledge, self-perception of ability to diagnose and manage skin disorders, and their difficulties in managing these patients. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional, needs assessment study was done among primary care physicians (n = 61) of rural (n = 34) and urban (n = 27) areas of Vadodara district. A pre-validated semi-structured questionnaire (for self-rating of the ability to diagnose/manage skin disorders and difficulties faced in managing patients) was used along with a photo-quiz (for knowledge assessment) while approaching primary care physicians during their monthly review meeting with prior permission. Data were analyzed by Epi InfoTM software and manual content analysis. RESULTS: The mean score on the photo-quiz was 4.1/10. Forty-three (70.5%) participants rated their ability to diagnose/manage skin disorders as 'average' on a five-point Likert scale. Various difficulties (n = 89) narrated by participants were related to their knowledge/skill, disease factors, patients and administrative aspects. Three-fourths of the participants managed difficulties by referring patients to dermatologists. One-third suggested conducting training in common skin disorders. LIMITATIONS: The study population included primary care physicians from the government healthcare setup only. Knowledge assessment was done using a short ten-item photo-quiz instead of actual patients. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care physicians had poor knowledge of skin disorders, and a majority overrated their own ability for clinical management of these disorders. Most common difficulties faced were related to clinical management. There is a need for training on common skin disorders.

Stigmatizing attitudes of primary care professionals towards people with mental disorders: A systematic review.

Objective To examine stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental disorders among primary care professionals and to identify potential factors related to stigmatizing attitudes through a systematic review. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in Medline, Lilacs, IBECS, Index Psicologia, CUMED, MedCarib, Sec. Est. Saúde SP, WHOLIS, Hanseníase, LIS-Localizador de Informação em Saúde, PAHO, CVSO-Regional, and Latindex, through the Virtual Health Library portal ( http://www.bireme.br website) through to June 2017. The articles included in the review were summarized through a narrative synthesis. Results After applying eligibility criteria, 11 articles, out of 19.109 references identified, were included in the review. Primary care physicians do present stigmatizing attitudes towards patients with mental disorders and show more negative attitudes towards patients with schizophrenia than towards those with depression. Older and more experience doctors have more stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness compared with younger and less-experienced doctors. Health-care providers who endorse more stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness were likely to be more pessimistic about the patient's adherence to treatment. Conclusions Stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental disorders are common among physicians in primary care settings, particularly among older and more experienced doctors. Stigmatizing attitudes can act as an important barrier for patients to receive the treatment they need. The primary care physicians feel they need better preparation, training, and information to deal with and to treat mental illness, such as a user friendly and pragmatic classification system that addresses the high prevalence of mental disorders in primary care and community settings.

Impacto do Programa Mais Médicos na atenção básica de um município do sertão central nordestino / The impact of the Program More Doctors in the basic atention in a north east location county

Tendo em vista os problemas inerentes à atenção primária a saúde, o Governo Federal implantou o Programa Mais Médicos para o Brasil em busca de melhoria na assistência e do acesso à atenção primária a saúde com vistas de proporcionar qualidade de vida aos usuários do Sistema Único de Saúde -SUS através da prevenção e promoção da saúde. Este estudo visou identificar os impactos causados pela implementação do Programa Mais Médicos em um município do sertão central nordestino. O estudo foi constituído a partir da análise estatística dos indicadores registrados no Sistema de informação da Atenção Básica SIAB. Os dados foram processados no software Stata®, na versão 11.0, onde, a partir da análise estatística descritiva, os resultados foram analisados e apresentados em tabelas. O estudo identificou que a partir da implementação do Programa Mais Médicos houve um aumento considerável no número de consultas e atendimentos realizados pelos médicos, tendo destaque os atendimentos prestados aos pacientes portadores de tuberculose e hanseníase e impacto nas solicitações dos exames complementares que sofreu uma queda bastante considerável. Outro ponto identificado é o aumento de visitas domiciliares. Pode se realizar uma análise de forma geral de melhoria dos indicadores da saúde no município depois do Programa Mais Médicos implantado segundo resultados estatísticos apresentados.

Because of problems in Brazil’s primary health care attention, the Federal Government created the Mais Médicos Program. This Program comprises a series of actions intended to better assistance in the segment of primary health care attention and have the great responsibility to promote the life quality of the Brazilian national health system (SUS) users, and became possible through the health promotion and prevention. This study aims at identifying impacts that come out with the Mais Médicos Program implementation in a north east location county, through the analysis of statistical indicators registered in the basicattention information system (SIAB). The data were processed by software Stata 11.0 and are shown as descriptive statistics and tables. The work identified an important increase in numbers of medical appointments, given a special emphasis in medical appointments to tuberculosis and hanseniase suffers, as well as a decrease number in extras exams solicitations. Another point identified that deserves merit is the demand of home visit by the doctor. In this way can be perform, in a general form, an improvement of health indicators in the county after the Mais Médicos Program based on real statistics results.

Protocolo 7: Manejo del paciente con lepra en atención primaria de la salud

[Extraído del contenido del documento] Afines del 2001, nuestro país, con acción mancomunada del Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social, la Asociación Alemana de Ayuda al enfermo de Lepra (DAHW), la Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana (OPS ) y el Comité de iglesias menonitas del Paraguay, ha conseguido reducir la tasa de prevalencia país a menos de 1 caso por 10.000 habitantes. Este logro sin embargo no debe conducirnos a bajar las actividades de control porque: El número de casos nuevos se mantiene estable. Recién a partir del 2005 se consiguió cubrir todos los distritos del país en las distintas regiones sanitarias. Aún tenemos Regiones Sanitarias donde la tasa de prevalencia está por encima de 1 caso por 10.000 Paraguay ocupa el tercer lugar en cuanto a la magnitud de la endemia en la Región de las Américas. En términos del continente puede ser calificada como endemia de nivel intermedio. Las tasas de detección se han mantenido estables, el perfil de los casos detectados durante el año 2012 mostró una proporción de casos MB de 80%, y de estos el 8% tenían discapacidad Grado 2 (detección tardía). La estrategia mundial mejorada para reducir la carga de morbilidad debida a la Lepra: 2011 – 2015 de la OMS sugiere entre otros puntos: ejecutar enfoques innovadores para búsqueda de casos con el objetico de reducir el retraso en el diagnóstico y la aparición de las discapacidades Grado 2 entre nuevos casos, incluido el examen de los contactos familiares en el momento del diagnóstico o dentro de un lapso cercano al mismo incorporando esfuerzos para mejorar las actividades de control para las poblaciones que viven en lugares de difícil acceso y área suburbanas. Con la creación de las Unidades de Salud Familiar (USF) creemos que el Programa de Lepra cuenta con una herramienta muy eficaz para dar cumplimiento a los postulados de la OMS.