ISSN: 2639-2038
Authors: Turabian JL*
Despite professional recognition of the importance of continuity of care, there is little practical guidance for general practitioners on continuity of care, in regard to its epidemiological implications that are not even taken into consideration. This article, first part of two texts, is intended to reflect on fundamental epidemiological elements that are provided by continuity of care in general medicine, and its practical applications Some of these are: 1. Epidemiological efficiency of continuity of care (application of Bayes’ theorem): it allows to evaluate at very low cost previous probabilities and increases the pretest probability; 2. Continuity of registration: a registry of patients with a specific disease can be useful not only as a basis for the calculation of prevalence or incidence rates, but also as a tool to ensure that certain patients receive the care they need; 3. Knowledge of numerators and denominators: it allows knowing the beginning or incidence of health problems; the beginning of preventive interventions (case finding); to know the prevalence; knowing the associated factors that may suggest causality; knowing the prognosis; knowing the evolution of the health problem (intermittent course, persistent course, worsening, evolution of the severity of symptoms, exacerbations, complications; etc.); knowing the process or trajectory of accumulation of diseases in people throughout life, and the factors associated with this phenomenon.
Keywords: Continuity of Care; Epidemiology; Community Medicine; General Practitioner; Disease; Diagnosis
