Atencion primaria
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Review
[Osteoarthritis: Degenerative changes or adaptive changes? Brief pain advice in primary care].
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease and is the most common joint problem worldwide. It is considered a serious disease due to the presence of pain and reduced functional capacity. Moreover, there are no disease-modifying drugs or curative treatment at present; the basic or first-line treatment is non-pharmacological, based on education and physical exercise. ⋯ In short, osteoarthritis is part of the normal aging process of the population. As with low back pain, it is proposed to apply a salutogenic model of health, paying special attention to the terms used when informing and advising patients. It is proposed a review of the main causes, effectiveness and prognosis of osteoarthritis treatment, in order to provide brief educational advice to patients.
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The prevalence of overweight and obesity, and, consequently, associated comorbidities, is increasing significantly worldwide. The guidelines recommend a percentage of weight loss> 5% to achieve beneficial effects on metabolic comorbidities associated with obesity. Furthermore, greater weight losses (> 10%) produce more significant improvements, and may even produce remission of some of these comorbidities. In this chapter, we review the evidence of the effect of weight loss through different strategies (lifestyle intervention, pharmacological treatment, or bariatric surgery) on the main cardiometabolic pathologies associated with excess adipose tissue (type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality).
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To analyze the experiences regarding the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination strategies, emphasizing the opportunities and challenges identified during its implementation. ⋯ 292 publications were found, of which 25 were selected for analysis. Of these, 64% came from high-income countries and 32% from upper-middle-income countries. According to the stages of the implementation plan, 20% of the studies focused on regulations, planning and coordination; 28% in prioritization of the population to be vaccinated; 16% in acceptance, demand, and risk communication; and 16% in administration and information systems. Reflection on the response to the pandemic invites us to consider various aspects, such as the organization and function of health systems, the importance of collaborative work, efforts to achieve equity, communication strategies, as well as ethical dilemmas when seeking preserve health.
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The entry into force of the Organic Law on the Regulation of Euthanasia in June 2021 obliges clinicians to reconsider their professional work, in the face of a new service that expands the limits of what was considered correct until then. This new service affects the entire healthcare system, but especially primary care professionals. Beyond the procedural and moral aspects, it is necessary to rethink the assessment of the patient who expresses a wish to die. ⋯ Besides, in the face of an administrative process that will necessarily be long, adapting the therapeutic efforts and sedation should be considered as possible options. We understand that it is essential not to create false expectations for patients/families and not to overload healthcare professionals with administrative tasks that will be futile. It is difficult to balance these in the face of a request for a right to which the patient should always have access.
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There are numerous instruments in the scientific literature for the evaluation of the quality of Primary Care (PC) and to know which of them are the most used and in which countries provides more information to make a well-founded decision. The aim is to determine which, between 2013 and 2023, have been the instruments used to assess the international quality of PC, its evolution and geographical distribution. ⋯ The PCAT, due to its cultural adaptability, availability in several languages, its ability to evaluate the fundamental principles of PC enunciated by the World Health Organization and to contemplate the perspectives of all health agents, is a complete, versatile, and consistent questionnaire for the evaluation of the quality of PC.