The reality of Rheumatology in Spain and its autonomous communities before the pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the number of rheumatologists per 100,000 inhabitants working in public or private centres in Spain as a whole, and by Autonomous Community and their distribution by age and sex.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Cross-sectional study based on the information contained in the database of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology. Quality control was performed by contact (e-mail and telephone call) with the heads of the clinical services of each of the hospitals (public and private). The information analysed was the age, sex and place of work of active rheumatologists in February 2020. The rates of rheumatologists per 100,000 inhabitants were calculated from population data from the National Institute of Statistics.

RESULTS

The rate of rheumatology specialists per 100,000 inhabitants in Spain was estimated at 2.17. The percentage of women was 59.7%, with a higher female/male ratio at younger ages. The lowest proportion of specialists per 100,000 inhabitants was in the community of Valencia (1.6), and the highest in Cantabria (3.2).

CONCLUSIONS

Variations were found in the rate of rheumatologists per 100,000 inhabitants among the Autonomous Communities. The distribution by age and sex showed a tendency towards female rheumatologists, especially in the younger age strata.