Assessment of the Sources of Information by Patients With Rheumatic Diseases.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to ascertain the frequency of use, search intent (SI), level of accessibility, and degree of reliability of sources of information (SOIs) in rheumatology. METHODS: A survey among adult outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and spondyloarthritis was conducted. They were asked if they had procured information from 12 selected SOIs during the past year. Search intent was defined as the source they would like to consult. Accessibility and reliability were assessed through 0-to-10 scales (minimum and maximum, respectively). RESULTS: Four hundred two patients were surveyed. They had consulted a median of 3 SOIs (interquartile range, 2-6) but described a higher SI: median of 5 SOIs (interquartile range 3-8); p = 0.001.The most consulted SOIs were the physician (83%), other patients (45%), and Facebook (36%). The main differences between SI and the searches actually performed were observed in community lectures by health care professionals (49%), scientific societies (48%), and associations of patients (27%); p < 0.001. These 3 sources showed low level of accessibility. Facebook, press, radio, and YouTube were the least reliable sources. CONCLUSIONS: Patients consulted a median of 3 SOIs but reported a significantly higher SI. Although patients demand more information, the request is leveled at SOIs with difficult accessibility but high reliability.

The non-silent epidemic: low back pain as a primary cause of hospitalisation.

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common cause of pain in adults and the second health condition that prompts patients to seek ambulatory medical care visits. To analyse the impact of LBP on hospitalisations in healthcare facilities within the official subsector in Argentina between 2006 and 2010. Discharges in which the original diagnosis had been either adult LBP or lumbosciatica were assessed. The data comprised age, gender, province of residence, average length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, intra-hospital death, and the Provincial Human Development Index (PHDI). 17,859 discharges had an original diagnosis of LBP and 10,948 of lumbosciatica, which jointly accounted for 18.7 % of all the discharges documented for Diseases of Osteomuscular System and Connective Tissue (DOMS). Hospital discharges of female patients represented 53.7 %. The average age upon admission was 47.7 years in men versus 47.9 in women. The average LOS was slightly higher in men (4.2 vs. 3.8 days, p 0.01). In provinces with a PHDI below the national average, a surgical procedure was performed in 3.1 % of the discharges versus 4.1 % in the provinces with a PHDI above the national average (p < 0.001). LBP was the most frequent cause of hospitalisation due to DOMS. It occurred with a slightly higher frequency in women and prompted short hospitalisations. A surgical procedure was carried out during hospitalisation in very few cases, but the percentage of surgeries during hospitalisation was higher in provinces with a PHDI above the national average.