title: [The diagnosis of chronic kidney disease as a tracer of the technical capacity in care facilities of 20 Mexican states].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess knowledge and technical capacity of primary care physicians in the management of patients with diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure as well as patients at risk of developing chronic kidney disease, and to use the latter condition as a tracer of the quality of primary care of the Mexican health system.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study included 149 primary health physicians in primary care units from state health care services in 20 states. An instrument with two clinical cases was applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average score of the physicians evaluated was 53.7 out of 100. Those physicians working in larger size units and graduated before the year 2000 tend to receive lower scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of chronic kidney disease as a tracer of the technical capacity of the Mexican health care system is useful to understand the problems of primary care in the country's public settings.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Proyectos Especiales de Investigación Sociomédica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
authors.forename: Reyna Lizette
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Pacheco-Domínguez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Durán-Arenas
authors.forename: Mario Enrique
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rojas-Russell
authors.forename: Ricardo A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Escamilla-Santiago
authors.forename: Malaquías
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Cervantes
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D008800:Mexico; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011320:Primary Health Care; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires