The impact of the medical speciality in primary health-care problem solving in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: homeopaths versus family doctors: a preliminary quantitative study.
BACKGROUND
This research project examined influence of the doctors' speciality on primary health care (PHC) problem solving in Belo Horizonte (BH) Brazil, comparing homeopathic with family health doctors (FH), from the management's and the patients' viewpoint. In BH, both FH and homeopathic doctors work in PHC. The index of resolvability (IR) is used to compare resolution of problems by doctors.


METHODS
The present research compared IR, using official data from the Secretariat of Health and test requests made by the doctors and 482 structured interviews with patients. A total of 217,963 consultations by 14 homeopaths and 67 FH doctors between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007 were analysed.


RESULTS
The results show significant differences greater problem resolution by homeopaths compared to FH doctors.


CONCLUSIONS
In BH, the medical speciality, homeopathy or FH, has an impact on problem solving, both from the managers' and the patients' point of view. Homeopaths request fewer tests and have better IR compared with FH doctors. Specialisation in homeopathy is an independent positive factor in problem solving at PHC level in BH, Brazil.
Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Argentina.
Giovano
G
Iannotti
Elza M
EM
Melo
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D008875:Middle Aged; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011340:Problem Solving; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult