Professionals' perception of circuits of care for hypertensive or diabetic patients between primary and secondary care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the flow of care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension between primary care (PC) and specialized care (SC) in clinical practice, and the criteria used for referral and follow-up within the Spanish National Health System (NHS). DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study. PLACEMENT: A probability convenience sampling stratified by number of physicians participating in each Spanish autonomous community was performed. Nine hundred and ninety-nine physicians were surveyed, of whom 78.1% (n=780) were primary care physicians (PCPs), while 11.9% (n=119) and 10.0% (n=100) respectively were specialists in hypertension and diabetes. KEY MEASUREMENTS: was conducted using two self administered online surveys. RESULTS: A majority of PCPs (63.7% and 55.5%) and specialists (79.8% and 45.0%) reported the lack of a protocol to coordinate the primary and specialized settings for both hypertension and T2DM respectively. The most widely used method for communication between specialists was the referral sheet (94.6% in PC and 92.4% in SC). The main reasons for referral to a specialist were refractory hypertension (80.9%) and suspected secondary hypertension (75.6%) in hypertensive patients, and suspicion of a specific diabetes (71.9%) and pregnancy (71.7%) in T2DM patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although results showed some common characteristics between PCPs and specialists in disease management procedures, the main finding was a poor coordination between PC and SC.

Percepción de profesionales sobre los circuitos asistenciales del paciente hipertenso o diabético entre la atención primaria y atención especializada / Professionals’ perception of circuits of care for hypertensive or diabetic patients between primary and secondary care

Objetivo: Conocer el flujo de atención entre la atención primaria y la atención especializada (AE), así como los criterios usados para la derivación y posterior seguimiento, en relación con el paciente con hipertensión arterial (HTA) y diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2). Diseño: Estudio descriptivo, transversal y multicéntrico. Emplazamiento: Se realizó un muestreo probabilístico, de conveniencia y estratificado por número de médicos en cada CCAA. Participaron 999 médicos, 78,1% (n = 780) especialistas en atención primaria (EAP), 11,9% (n = 119) especialistas en hipertensión y 10,0% (n = 100) especialistas en diabetes. Mediciones principales: Se emplearon 2 formularios de recogida de datos, autoadministrados vía online. Resultados: El 63,7% y el 55,5% de los EAP y el 79,8% y el 45,0% de la AE declararon la falta de un protocolo de coordinación entre los niveles para el manejo del paciente con HTA y DM2, respectivamente. El método de comunicación más frecuentemente usado entre los niveles asistenciales fue la hoja de derivación (94,6% en EAP y 92,4% en AE). Los principales criterios de derivación al médico de AE del paciente con HTA fueron la hipertensión resistente (80,9%) y la sospecha de hipertensión secundaria (75,6%), siendo la sospecha de DM específica (71,9%) y el embarazo (71,7%) en el paciente con DM2. Conclusiones: Aunque se observaron coincidencias en algunos aspectos de la práctica clínica habitual entre ambos niveles asistenciales, las discrepancias evidenciadas mostraron una escasa coordinación entre EAP y AE (AU)

Objective: To determine the flow of care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension between primary care (PC) and specialized care (SC) in clinical practice, and the criteria used for referral and follow-up within the Spanish National Health System (NHS). Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study. Placement: A probability convenience sampling stratified by number of physicians participating in each Spanish autonomous community was performed. Nine hundred and ninety-nine physicians were surveyed, of whom 78.1% (n = 780) were primary care physicians (PCPs), while 11.9% (n = 119) and 10.0% (n = 100) respectively were specialists in hypertension and diabetes. Key measurements: was conducted using two self administered online surveys. Results: A majority of PCPs (63.7% and 55.5%) and specialists (79.8% and 45.0%) reported the lack of a protocol to coordinate the primary and specialized settings for both hypertension and T2DM respectively. The most widely used method for communication between specialists was the referral sheet (94.6% in PC and 92.4% in SC). The main reasons for referral to a specialist were refractory hypertension (80.9%) and suspected secondary hypertension (75.6%) in hypertensive patients, and suspicion of a specific diabetes (71.9%) and pregnancy (71.7%) in T2DM patients. Conclusions: Although results showed some common characteristics between PCPs and specialists in disease management procedures, the main finding was a poor coordination between PC and SC (AU)