At the end of May this year, Cegedim Health Data published a report intended for all family doctors who work with the Pharmec Cabinet™ software, as an expression of our concern to keep them up to date with late summary information relevant to their work.
The information is obtained from a sample of family physicians working with Pharmec Cabinet™ and processed within the partnership with Cegedim Health Data, in order to obtain anonymized data from current medical practice (Real-World Data) and to conduct research studies based on real world evidence (Real-World Evidence) that boost medical research and significantly improve the condition of patients, in the interest of public health. Data collection and processing of is done by anonymization at the source level, in accordance with the provisions of the GDPR regarding the physicians’ or patients’ identity.
Already at its 5th edition, this report provides various information related to patients and their pathologies, grouped as follows:
- Evolution of the number of consultations between 2019-2023
- Initiation and continuation of treatment in chronic pathologies, in primary healthcare
- Top 10 chronic pathologies treated by the family doctors, monthly evolution
- Referrals issued by the GPs to medical specialists
The pre and post-pandemic period in the activity of family doctors, by number of consultations
In 2023, the average number of consultations per month (including remote consultations) increased by 1.4% compared to the previous year. This was still 2.7% lower than the level achieved in 2019. The access to treatment is still a problem for patients. This is also evident from the chart below:
Initiation and continuation of treatment in chronic pathologies, in primary healthcare
The number of patients for whom a chronic disease treatment was initiated by their family doctor was still lower in 2023 compared to 2019, the difference between the annual averages being -15.3%. Compared to 2022, the situation is relatively stationary, with a decrease of only 0.1%.
At the same time, the number of patients who continued their treatment for a chronic disease, was lower in 2023 compared to 2019, by 1.7%. Compared to 2022, the number of patients is slightly increasing, by 2.3%.
Top 10 chronic pathologies treated by the family doctor: monthly evolution according to the number of patients per doctor
Cardiovascular diseases affect approx. 49% of patients treated by family doctors, followed by dyslipidemia (22%) and type 2 diabetes (14%).
According to data from the European Society of Cardiology, in 2019, it was estimated that there are approximately 113 million people living with cardiovascular diseases. In Romania, according to public information from GPs, over 4 million Romanians had a cardiovascular disease.
Referrals issued by the GPs to medical specialists
The number of referrals issued by family doctors to specialists increased in 2023 compared to 2019 by approx. These are:
Practically, in 2023, one in every five patients benefited from a referral to a specialist physician. In comparison, the referral rate was of 17.5% in 2019, decreasing considerably in 2020 and remaining below the pre-pandemic level until 2022. Thus, according to the annual reports of CNAS (National Health Insurance House), the number of consultations and specialized outpatient healthcare services increased to 36 million in 2022 from 32 million in 2021 (+13%).
The top 10 medical specialties to which GPs issued referrals account for 82% of the total. These are:
- Cardiology
- Ophthalmology
- Neurology
- Endocrinology
- ENT
- Dermatology
- Surgery
- Gynecology
- Psychiatry
- Pneumology
Most referrals were issued for the following presumptive pathologies:
- Essential hypertension – 9.1%
- Visual disturbances – 3.5%
- Diabetic polyneuropathy – 2.6%
- Chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy – 1.9%
- Pelvic inflammatory diseases in women – 1.3%
We invite you to find out more details about the activity of family doctors in Romania by consulting the newsletter produced by Cegedim Health Data.
For any further details or questions, please contact us using the contact form.
