title: Morbidity Profile of Inpatients in a Secondary Care Center Run by Family Physicians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a scarcity of records of morbidity pattern in secondary care centers. Reliable morbidity data will help in proper allocation of human resources.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of inpatient admission records of an urban secondary health center run by family physicians was done between April 2010 and March 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses (represented by ICD code J) was the most common diagnosis. This was followed by infectious and viral diseases, circulatory diseases like hypertension, ischemic heart disease and endocrine diseases like non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians working in secondary care centres need to be experts in managing respiratory diseases, viral diarrheal illnesses, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus and patients with co-morbidities. They also need to be able to manage common obstetrics and neonatal emergencies. As the discipline of family medicine specializes in management of common ailments and multiple co-morbidities with an attitude of patient centeredness, family physicians would be the best managers of such centers. Inclusion of family physicians as specialist in secondary care centers will help in covering the manpower shortage in such centers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Low Cost Effective Care Unit, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Kirubah Vasandhi
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Low Cost Effective Care Unit, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Ruby Angeline
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pricilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Low Cost Effective Care Unit, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Sajitha Parveen Mf
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Staff and Students Health Service Unit, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Prince Rh
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Christopher
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Ida Scudder Citizens Clinic, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Moses Kirubairaj Amos
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jegaraj
authors.affiliation: Department of Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Rajaram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murugan
keywords: Center; family physician; inpatient; morbidity