Sauro Alfonso, Barone Filippo, Blasio Giuseppe, Russo Luigi, Santillo Luigi
Eur J Gen Pract. 2006;12(1):34-6. doi: 10.1080/13814780600757153.
Respiratory infections are a frequent causes of medical attendance. Influenza viruses increases this phenomena. The aim of this study was to prospectively identify GPs' increased work in terms of visits and time.
Over a period of five months 5 GPs recorded sex, age, number and place of visits, telephone consultations of the patients visited for acute respiratory disease (ARD)which included acute respiratory infections (ARI), influenza (FLU) and Influenza-like illness (ILI). Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) were classified as sinusitis, rhinitis, otitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) were classified as tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, acute episodes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. FLU and ILI were considered two different entities on the basis of symptoms.
Acute respiratory disease increase of 22 patients attending every GP's office monthly (from 176 to 198 total visits). 6,542 patients were observed. The incidence of ARD was 33.5% (2191: 1,091 female and 1,100 males). URTI affected 944 patients, LRTI 739, FLU 328 and ILI 180. The increase in home visits grew from 10 to 36. Each home visit took from 15 to 45 minutes. In a high number of cases (236), home visits were necessary for sick-leave certificates. FLU (54%) and LRTI (37.5%) required more attention, and they were the primary causes for visits. Telephone consultations took place for all ILI or FLU of minor severity and in young people.
During the winter there is an increased work-load for GPs due to the diffusion of influenza virus and respiratory tract diseases. "Burn out syndrome" is increasing among the GPs. Territorial GPs' action is highly efficacious. Patients self-certification should be evaluated. Vaccine therapy could be more effective if done on a larger population. More research is needed.
呼吸道感染是就医的常见原因。流感病毒加剧了这一现象。本研究的目的是前瞻性地确定全科医生在就诊次数和时间方面工作量的增加情况。
在五个月的时间里，5名全科医生记录了因急性呼吸道疾病（ARD）就诊患者的性别、年龄、就诊次数和地点、电话咨询情况，ARD包括急性呼吸道感染（ARI）、流感（FLU）和流感样疾病（ILI）。上呼吸道感染（URTI）分为鼻窦炎、鼻炎、中耳炎、扁桃体炎、咽炎、喉炎，下呼吸道感染（LRTI）分为气管炎、支气管炎、肺炎、支气管肺炎、慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）和哮喘的急性发作。根据症状，FLU和ILI被视为两个不同的实体。
每位全科医生办公室每月就诊的急性呼吸道疾病患者增加了22例（总就诊次数从176次增至198次）。共观察了6542名患者。ARD的发病率为33.5%（2191例：女性1091例，男性1100例）。URTI影响了944名患者，LRTI 739名，FLU 328名，ILI 180名。家访次数从10次增加到36次。每次家访耗时15至45分钟。在大量病例（236例）中，需要家访开具病假证明。FLU（54%）和LRTI（37.5%）需要更多关注，是就诊的主要原因。病情较轻的所有ILI或FLU患者以及年轻人进行了电话咨询。
冬季，由于流感病毒和呼吸道疾病的传播，全科医生的工作量增加。全科医生中“职业倦怠综合征”正在增加。地区全科医生的行动非常有效。应评估患者自我证明。如果对更多人群进行疫苗治疗，可能会更有效。需要更多研究。
