Epidemiología de la cirugía menor en atención primaria. Estudio descriptivo de 50.000 intervenciones.

Abstract

Introduction: Minor surgical (MS) procedures are carried out in different areas of primary care as well as by different professionals. There are not many studies which consistently evaluate these variables, the magnitude of this health benefit, nor its impact on the health system. The aim of the present study is to quantify the magnitude of these techniques in primary care. Materials and methods: Descriptive study of Minor Surgery carried out in 2009 in three primary health-care areas of Asturias with a population of 799,472 inhabitants. The data were obtained from the electronic medical record (OMI-AP). Results: 54,723 episodes were found which can be solved by means of either emergency or scheduled MS, a figure that represents 6.8% of the population. Of the urgent cases, three-quarters involved healing cutaneous wounds, and among the scheduled cases, a third were benign skin tumours, another third were cutaneous injuries of viral origin, and a quarter were benign subcutaneous tumours. These cases were initially opened by general practitioners (59%) and by nurses (41%). Conclusions: With regard to previous research, the present study reveals the highest prevalence of cases of minor surgery. Either way, the volume of these surgical interventions is important enough to be taken into account in health services planning, and warrants further research.