Characteristics of primary care processes for the treatment of faecal incontinence in an urban area.
OBJECTIVE
In this study, we investigated the adequacy of the healthcare response systems to detect and treat faecal incontinence in patients in the primary care areas (PCAs) in a core urban area of Barcelona.


METHODS
Patients with a diagnosis of faecal incontinence in the study area were identified from the electronic register of diagnostic codes, and from a manual review of electronic medical records of a random sample of the study population. The remaining variables were obtained through a structured telephone interview.


RESULTS
In the study population (n = 65,023) with a previously estimated prevalence of faecal incontinence of 13% [95% confidence interval (CI) 10-17%], 68 cases of faecal incontinence were detected by the health care system (prevalence: 0.10%; 95% CI, 0.08-0.13). Of these, 39 patients (68% women, 68 ± 18 years of age) were interviewed: 18 (46%) reported symptoms lasting for longer than 5-10 years and 20 (51%) had waited for more than 5 years before seeking medical advice. Only 8 (18%) had received any treatment for faecal incontinence, and 18 (46%) reported persistent faecal incontinence at the time of the interview (Vaizey severity score 13 ± 4/24).


CONCLUSIONS
The detection and treatment of faecal incontinence is insufficient in primary care services. Strategies to correct this are needed.
Neuro-Enteric Translational Science research group (IMIM-HMar), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Spain. sdelgado@parcdesalutmar.cat
S
S
Delgado-Aros
R
R
Solano Silveira
M
M
Sala
M
M
Roura Olivan
P
P
Civit
L
L
Ilzarbe Sánchez
J
J
Muñoz Galitó
I A
IA
Ibáñez Zafón
F
F
Bory Ros
M
M
Andreu García
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*