Chilean Journal of Primary Care and Family Health

CHARACTERISTICS OF USERS WHO USE BENZODIAZEPINES IN A CESFAM IN THE FIFTH REGION.

Camilo Sepúlveda Arancibia — 2024-10-04

Introduction: benzodiazepines are widely used central nervous system depressant drugs. National and international studies have shown prevalences of use in psychiatric population between 3.6% and 25.5%. Objective: to characterize the benzodiazepine-using population under the control of the mental health program at the Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Family Health Center of Villa Alemana during 2023 by sex, age, diagnosis and pharmacological presentation. Material and methods: a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out, which reviewed the consumption of benzodiazepines in the population under control of the mental health program of the Family Health Center in 2023, with data at the December cutoff. Variables such as sex, age, pharmacological formulation and mental health diagnosis were collected. Data were obtained from the RAYEN program census and from the pharmacy registry of the Health Center. Results: the user population was 317 persons (11% of the population under control), 79.2% of whom were women. The most commonly used benzodiazepine was clonazepam 0.5 mg (65.7%). The most frequent diagnoses were depressive episode (45.2%) and anxiety disorder (36.4%). Conclusions: the characteristics of the population coincide with national and international literature. The high prevalence of benzodiazepine uses in diagnoses such as depressive episodes and anxiety disorders suggests the need for further studies to understand this phenomenon.

SEXUALITY IN OLDER ADULTS IN THE METROPOLITAN AND O'HIGGINS METROPOLITAN REGION AND O'HIGGINS IN CHILE.

Cristina Sepúlveda Concha — 2024-12-15

Introduction: Introduction: Chile faces the challenge of addressing population aging in a comprehensive manner, which includes the sexuality of the elderly. Objective: to explore aspects of the sexuality of elderly people from community groups in the Metropolitan and O'Higgins regions, in order to learn about biosocio-demographic aspects related to it. Methods: this is a descriptive and quantitative study, in which elderly people who participate in community groups were interviewed. A non-probabilistic purposive “snowball” sample was used, where the recruited subjects identified other possible participants. The sample was completed with 116 participants. A survey of the authors' own elaboration was applied, focusing on general data, social determinants and the national survey applied to the elderly. Variable association and statistical significance techniques were used. Results: the age of the interviewees ranged between 60 and 79 years, with a female predominance (77.5%) and affiliation to the National Health Fund (94.9%). The importance attributed to sexuality did not vary significantly with educational level. In general, arterial hypertension negatively affects sexual activity, especially among women. The 48.3% are sexually active, but most of them do not receive sex education or use barrier methods for sexually transmitted infections. Conclusion: population aging has promoted policies focused on cognitive and functional aspects, but sexuality continues to be neglected. Its inclusion in health programs is key to improve the quality of geriatric life, which should include training of health personnel in this area.

USE OF COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINES IN USERS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Gabriela Zegarra Godoy — 2024-12-27

Introduction: the World Health Organization defines complementary medicine as health practices distinct from traditional medicine and not fully integrated into the conventional health system. Their use has been rising globally, particularly for cardiovascular diseases, which are linked to high mortality rates. Objective: this study aims to determine the frequency of complementary medicine use and its association with the sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics of users in the cardiovascular health program at three health centers in Santiago. Methods: a descriptive study was conducted between December 2023 and January 2024 using a convenience sampling across three health centers, analyzing 103 users of the cardiovascular health program. Participants completed a questionnaire covering sociodemographic data, clinical factors, and CM usage. Descriptive analysis was performed, and Chi-square (χ2) tests were utilized to assess associations between the variables and CM use. Results: findings reveal that 48% of respondents used some form of complementary medicine, with 23.3% specifically for cardiovascular pathologies, a figure higher than prior studies. Users were primarily female, over 60 years old, and had more than 12 years of education. Increased usage was noted among those with multimorbidity (more than 2 conditions), with 75% using CM for cardiovascular issues and 80% for other chronic diseases. Dietary supplements and herbs were the most frequently reported types of complementary medicine. Conclusion: complementary medicine use is prevalent among individuals with cardiovascular conditions, suggesting the need for further research to assess prevalence and identify factors associated with CM use in this demographic on a national scale.

THE INTEGRAL PEOPLE-CENTERED CARE STRATEGY IN A FAMILY CENTER OF CHILE

Sofía Ponce Arancibia — 2024-12-27

Introduction: the People-Centered Comprehensive Care Strategy is based on the principles of the Family Health Model for the promotion, prevention and management of chronicity in the context of multimorbidity, comprehensive, consensual and continuous care with emphasis on self-management. The aim of this study is to characterize the users of the People-Centered Integrated Care Strategy at the Illapel Urban Family Health Center during the first year of implementation and to evaluate the progression of clinical variables of the users in a period of three months after admission. Methods: a descriptive study was conducted on 85 patients under the People-Centered Integrated Care strategy at the Illapel Urban Family Health Center admitted during the first year. Participants were prioritized for admission due to polypharmacy, elevated glycosylated hemoglobin and hypertensive crisis. The study variables were: age, sex, weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin and LDL cholesterol. Results: the predominant population was women in group G3, aged 65 to 74 years, at high cardiovascular risk. At 3 months after admission, weight, glycosylated hemoglobin and blood pressure variables showed significant differences with respect to admission. Conclusion: a population with high complexity multimorbidity was admitted in which clinical differences were observed at three months of follow-up. Relevant antecedents are presented for other teams in the expansion and analysis of the implementation of Person-Centered Integrated Care.

CHARACTERISTICS OF USERS OF VILDAGLIPTIN DISPENSED IN PHARMACIES OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE ESTABLISHMENTS

Pamela Santibañez Saavedra — 2024-12-27

Introduction: the specific health guarantees regime guarantees access to treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus, including metformin, glibenclamide and/or insulin. However, based on recent studies and the national clinical practice guideline, vildagliptin is recommended as first-line treatment for patients aged 65 years and older or those intolerant to metformin. The objective was to characterize the population using vildagliptin in primary health care facilities in the Los Ríos Region, comparing it with the profile recommended by the national clinical practice guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: retrospective, observational, quantitative study. An anonymous database of the vildagliptin dispensing computer system of 359 users was reviewed and variables such as gender, age, origin, diagnosis and stage of chronic kidney disease were evaluated. In addition, the results of administrative audits were analyzed, focused on the control of patients using the drug. Results: a higher proportion of female users was observed (61.8%), 57.4% corresponded to the commune of Río Bueno, and the main age range was between 65 and 79 years (26.2%). Of the total, 231 users were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 39 of them had chronic kidney disease at some stage and 49 met the criteria recommended in the clinical practice guidelines. Conclusions: there was evidence of poor application of the recommendations of the clinical practice guidelines in the dispensing of vildagliptin; improvements should focus on the processes of prescribing and monitoring the use of the drug.

Importance of Scientific Journals in Health

Jhonny W. Acevedo Ayala — 2024-12-28

Inteligencia Artificial en la investigación científica y su relación con la Atención Primaria de Salud

Jhonny W. Acevedo Ayala — 2024-06-23

Recommendations for the prevention of breast and cervical cancer in Primary Health Care

María José González Méndez — 2024-03-05

el ULTRASOUND IN PRIMARY CARE, A NECESSITY FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR?

Tomás Saavedra Rojas — 2024-03-28

ULTRASOUND UTILITY IN FOREIGN BODY REMOVAL IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE.

Tomás Saavedra Rojas — 2024-08-31

Foreign bodies are a frequent reason for consultation in emergency centers and in certain cases, they are removed via minor surgery. Sometimes, imaging technologies are required to define their exact location. This paper presents the case of a 37-year-old female patient with a needle retained in her right foot for 2 months. Using ultrasound in the minor surgery ward allowed the foreign body to be located and extracted, which resolved the symptoms, avoided secondary referral, and prevented potential complications due to the retained foreign body. The aim of this work is to report on a case of complex foreign body extraction in minor surgery at the first level of care, highlighting how the use of ultrasound facilitates the resolution of the case.