Prevalencia y características de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica en no fumadores

ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to know the profile of patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and who have never been smokers.DesignA transversal study.LocationPrimary Care Centre of Pla d’Urgell (Primary care setting in Lleida, Spain).Participants512 patients older than 40 years with COPD from Primary Care Centre of Pla d’Urgell with a compatible spirometry [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio < 0.7) to the beginning of the study.Main measurementsThe dependent variable was de COPD in non-smokers and the independents were variables collected from the information on the respiratory clinical history, the risk factors of the patients and on quality of life. We designed a predictor model of COPD in non-smokers compared to smokers.Results33.2% of COPD patients had never been smokers, 59.4% of whom were women. The average FEV₁ for non-smokers was 70.5 (SD = 17.1), higher than 62.6 (SD = 18.5) for smokers/former smokers (p < 0.001). The coverage of pneumococcal vaccination 23V was better in non-smokers (75.3%), p < 0.001. COPD in non-smokers (compared to smokers/former smokers) were: mostly women (OR = 16.46), older (OR = 1.1), with better FEV₁ (OR = 1.1), better perception of quality, EuroQoL-5D (OR = 0.8), with lower prevalence of diabetes (OR = 0.5), lower level of studies (OR = 0.2), and with fewer previous hospitalizations (OR = 0.3).ConclusionsThe study evidences a high proportion of non-smokers in COPD patients. Our study aims that older women with less severity would be associated with an increased risk of COPD in non-smokers. It seems to indicate that COPD in non-smokers would appear at later ages and would be milder than smoking-related COPD.     

Efectividad de un programa educativo de rehabilitación respiratoria en atención primaria para mejorar la calidad de vida,la sintomatología y el riesgo clínico de los pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica

Aim

To determine the impact of an educational program to improve the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that contributes to an increase of the quality of life, exercise capacity, level of dyspnoea, and clinical risk.

Visión crítica y argumentación sobre los programas de atención de la cronicidad en Atención Primaria y Comunitaria

The detailed analysis of the chronic care plans developed by the Spanish regional health services show a surprising level of uniformity in their design and deployment, despite differences between these services. The reviews about theoretical models that support it and tools they develop does not provide conclusive evidence to support the chronic care models achieve better results than another alternatives of care.Although the whole Spanish chronic care plans includes assessment proposals no rigorous studies on their effect have been published to date.Given that, on the contrary, there is a strong and repeated evidence that health systems with Primary Care high performance obtains better outcomes, it is necessary to ask about the need to look for alternative models, when the proposed goals could be reached strengthen Primary Care.     

Adaptación española de las guías europeas de 2016 sobre prevención de la enfermedad cardiovascular en la práctica clínica

The VI European Guidelines for Cardiovascular Prevention recommend combining population and high-risk strategies with lifestyle changes as a cornerstone of prevention, and propose the SCORE function to quantify cardiovascular risk. The guidelines highlight disease specific interventions, and conditions as women, young people and ethnic minorities. Screening for subclinical atherosclerosis with noninvasive imaging techniques is not recommended. The guidelines distinguish four risk levels (very high, high, moderate and low) with therapeutic objectives for lipid control according to risk. Diabetes mellitus confers a high risk, except for subjects with type 2 diabetes with less than <10 years of evolution, without other risk factors or complications, or type 1 diabetes of short evolution without complications. The decision to start pharmacological treatment of arterial hypertension will depend on the blood pressure level and the cardiovascular risk, taking into account the lesion of target organs. The guidelines don’t recommend antiplatelet drugs in primary prevention because of the increased bleeding risk. The low adherence to the medication requires simplified therapeutic regimes and to identify and combat its causes. The guidelines highlight the responsibility of health professionals to take an active role in advocating evidence-based interventions at the population level, and propose effective interventions, at individual and population level, to promote a healthy diet, the practice of physical activity, the cessation of smoking and the protection against alcohol abuse.     

Impacto en los resultados de salud cardiovascular de la implantación del contrato de Dirección Clínica en atención primaria de Tarragona

ObjetivoLos objetivos del presente estudio son: a) determinar la mejora en la salud cardiovascular de una población tras la implantación del contrato de Dirección Clínica en los profesionales de los Equipos de Atención Primaria de Tarragona-Reus y Terres de l’Ebre (provincia de Tarragona), y b) identificar los factores predictivos que determinan una mejor salud cardiovascular tras la implantación del contrato de Dirección Clínica. La implantación del contrato de Dirección Clínica (basada en el liderazgo profesional, feedback de la información asistencial, control de los indicadores de riesgo cardiovascular basados en la evidencia científica concretadas en guías de práctica clínica) mejorará los resultados de salud cardiovascular de la población de referencia.DiseñoSe trata de un estudio antes-después y multicéntrico.EmplazamientoAtención primaria de salud.ParticipantesParticipan 30 centros de salud (totalidad de los centros de salud del ámbito de atención primaria del Institut Català de la Salut).Mediciones principalesCaracterísticas del centro. Variables de proceso: indicadores de buena práctica asistencial, cálculo del riesgo cardiovascular, aplicación de la guía de práctica clínica (hipertensión arterial, diabetes, dislipemia, tabaquismo y factores de riesgo cardiovascular), estándares de calidad de la prescripción farmacológica. Variables de resultados: cifras de riesgo cardiovascular, número de visitas en atención continuada, urgencias hospitalarias e ingresos por angina, infarto agudo de miocardio y accidente cerebrovascular, y cribados poblacionales de factores de riesgo.DiscusiónEste estudio es útil, ya que la dirección clinica pretende ser un motor para que los profesionales lideren la gestión asistencial y, mediante el control de indicadores y la «retroalimentación» de estos resultados a los profesionales, se mejore la calidad asistencial. Con este trabajo se pretende demostrar que una estrategia de gestión puede mejorar la salud cardiovascular de la población. La originalidad de este proyecto se basa en el desarrollo de una nueva herramienta de evaluación basada en una novedosa estrategia de gestión para medir resultados en salud cardiovascular.Palabras clave: Contrato dirección clínica, Atención primaria, Enfermedad cardiovascular     

Evaluación de la efectividad de un programa de atención integrada y proactiva a pacientes crónicos complejos

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of a proactive and integrated care programme to adjust the use of health resources by chronic complex patients (CCP) identified as potential high consumers according to a predictive model based on prior use and morbidity.

Validación clínica de 2 agrupadores de morbilidad en el ámbito de atención primaria

IntroductionAdjusted Morbidity Groups (GMAs) and the Clinical Risk Groups (CRGs) are population morbidity based stratification tools which classify patients into mutually exclusive categories.ObjetiveTo compare the stratification provided by the GMAs, CRGs and that carried out by the evaluators according to the levels of complexity.DesignRandom sample stratified by morbidity risk.LocationCatalonia.ParticipantsForty paired general practitioners in the primary care, matched pairs.InterventionsEach pair of evaluators had to review 25 clinical records.Main outputsThe concordance by evaluators, and between the evaluators and the results obtained by the 2 morbidity tools were evaluated according to the kappa index, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predicted values.ResultsThe concordance between general practitioners pairs was around the kappa value 0.75 (mean value = 0.67), between the GMA and the evaluators was similar (mean value = 0.63), and higher than for the CRG (mean value = 0.35). The general practitioners gave a score of 7.5 over 10 to both tools, although for the most complex strata, according to the professionals’ assignment, the GMA obtained better scores than the CRGs. The professionals preferred the GMAs over the CRGs. These differences increased with the complexity level of the patients according to clinical criteria.Overall, less than 2% of serious classification errors were found by both groupers.ConclusionThe evaluators considered that both grouping systems classified the studied population satisfactorily, although the GMAs showed a better performance for more complex strata. In addition, the clinical raters preferred the GMAs in most cases.     

De la neurastenia a la enfermedad postesfuerzo: evolución de los criterios diagnósticos del síndrome de fatiga crónica/encefalomielitis miálgica

Changes in the terminology and diagnostic criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis are explained in this paper.This syndrome is a complex and controversial entity of unknown origins. It appears in the medical literature in 1988, although clinical pictures of chronic idiopathic fatigue have been identified since the nineteenth century with different names, from neurasthenia, epidemic neuromyasthenia, and benign myalgic encephalomyelitis up to the current proposal of disease of intolerance to effort (post-effort). All of them allude to a chronic state of generalised fatigue of unknown origin, with limitations to physical and mental effort, accompanied by a set of symptoms that compromise diverse organic systems.The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) places this syndrome in the section on neurological disorders (G93.3), although histopathological findings have not yet been found to clarify it.Multiple organic alterations have been documented, but a common biology that clarifies the mechanisms underlying this disease has not been established. It is defined as a neuro-immune-endocrine dysfunction, with an exclusively clinical diagnosis and by exclusion.Several authors have proposed to include CFS/ME within central sensitivity syndromes, alluding to central sensitisation as the common pathophysiological substrate for this, and other syndromes.The role of the family doctor is a key figure in the disease, from the detection of those patients who present a fatigue of unknown nature that is continuous or intermittent for more than 6 months, in order to make an early diagnosis and establish a plan of action against a chronic disease with high levels of morbidity in the physical and mental sphere.ObjectiveTo carry out a bibliographic review of the terminology and diagnostic criteria of the chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, in order to clarify the pathology conceptually, as a usefulness in the diagnosis of Primary Care physicians.