Department of Social Medicine, Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, PO Box 2208, Postal Code 71003, Greece.
BMC Fam Pract. 2011 Dec 6;12:136. doi: 10.1186/1471-2296-12-136.
Research has indicated that general practitioners (GPs) have good clinical judgment in regards to diagnosing and managing herpes zoster (HZ) within clinical practice in a country with limited resources for primary care and general practice. The objective of the current study was to assess the burden of HZ and post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) within rural general practices in Crete, Greece.
The current study took place within a rural setting in Crete, Greece during the period of November 2007 to November 2009 within the catchment area in which the Cretan Rural Practice-based Research Network is operating. In total 19 GP's from 14 health care units in rural Crete were invited to participate, covering a total turnover patient population of approximately 25, 000 subjects. For the purpose of this study an electronic record database was constructed and used as the main tool for monitoring HZ and PHN incidence. Stress related data was also collected with the use of the Short Anxiety Screening Test (SAST).
The crude incidence rate of HZ was 1.4/1000 patients/year throughout the entire network of health centers and satellite practices, while among satellite practices alone it was calculated at 1.3/1000 patients/year. Additionally, the standardised incidence density within satellite practices was calculated at 1.6/1000 patients/year. In regards to the stress associated with HZ and PHN, the latter were found to have lower levels of anxiety, as assessed through the SAST score (17.4 ± 3.9 vs. 21.1 ± 5.7; p = 0.029).
The implementation of an electronic surveillance system was feasible so as to measure the burden of HZ and PHN within the rural general practice setting in Crete.
研究表明，在资源有限的基层医疗和全科医疗环境中，全科医生（GP）在临床实践中对带状疱疹（HZ）的诊断和管理具有良好的临床判断。本研究的目的是评估希腊克里特岛农村全科实践中 HZ 和带状疱疹后神经痛（PHN）的负担。
本研究于 2007 年 11 月至 2009 年 11 月在希腊克里特岛的农村地区进行，地点在克里特农村实践为基础的研究网络的服务范围内。共有来自克里特岛 14 个卫生保健单位的 19 名全科医生受邀参加，涵盖了约 25000 名患者的总就诊人群。为了进行这项研究，建立了一个电子记录数据库，并作为监测 HZ 和 PHN 发病率的主要工具。还使用短期焦虑筛查测试（SAST）收集了与压力相关的数据。
整个医疗中心网络和卫星诊所的 HZ 粗发病率为 1.4/1000 名患者/年，而仅在卫星诊所中，发病率为 1.3/1000 名患者/年。此外，卫星诊所的标准化发病率密度为 1.6/1000 名患者/年。关于与 HZ 和 PHN 相关的压力，通过 SAST 评分发现后者的焦虑程度较低（17.4 ± 3.9 对 21.1 ± 5.7；p = 0.029）。
在克里特岛农村全科医疗环境中实施电子监测系统是可行的，可以衡量 HZ 和 PHN 的负担。
