• P J Saturno Hernández, J J Gascón Cánovas, J M Bueno, J Alcaraz, and P Martínez Martínez.
• Unidad Docente de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad de Murcia. psaturno@fcu.um.es
• Aten Primaria. 2000 Feb 15; 25 (2): 828882-8.

ObjectiveThe variability of the quality of care in the primary care procedures to diagnose lipaemia was evaluated.DesignObservation, multi-centred and retrospective study.SettingRandom sample of 10 primary care centres in the Murcia region.Patients And Other ParticipantsPatients over 19 with lipaemia detected over the previous twelve months in the general medical clinics at health centres. 500 cases in all were studied (50 per centre).Measurements And Main ResultsCompliance with criteria of good clinical practice was evaluated. These criteria were formulated by health centre doctors and included: adequate diagnosis, classification into primary or secondary, phenotype, recording of cardiovascular risk factors and assessment of cardiovascular (CV) risk. The differences between the centres studied and the effect of the centre's characteristics (teaching, location, existence of lipaemia programme) and of the patients' (age and gender) were also examined. We found that none of the cases evaluated satisfied the five quality criteria at the same time. Assessment of CV risk and the aetiopathogenic classification were the criteria least complied with (1.5% +/- 1.0). Centres varied considerably. Their characteristics affected the quality of the procedure evaluated, which in all centres had a lot of room for improvement.ConclusionsThe quality of the procedures for diagnosing lipaemia can be considerably improved. It varies a lot from centre to centre.

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