title: National survey on the activity of internists in shared care-interconsultations in spanish hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the activity of interconsultations conducted by the departments of internal medicine, communicating their importance to managers and offering information to these departments to improve their organisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted using an interconsultation activity survey (on-demand consulting activity for other departments) and shared care (consulting activity provided in a regulated manner to other departments).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We received 120 surveys that corresponded to 108 public and 12 private hospitals. Forty-five percent of the surveyed hospitals had a specialised interconsultation unit, and 31% had shared care. The department most frequently helped by the presence of a stable consultation unit (65% of the cases) was orthopaedic and trauma surgery. Fifty-five percent of the departments of internal medicine surveyed had an interconsultation activity record since the start of their activity. Ninety-two percent of the departments lacked a protocol that regulated interconsultations, and in 74% of the cases, the interconsultation was on demand.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The interconsultation activity is generalised in the departments of internal medicine, but only 45% of these departments have interconsultation units, and only 33% provide the shared care modality. The survey reflects the shortcomings of training and some confusion in the concept of interconsultations. The considerable majority of departments lack organisational interconsultation protocols.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España. Electronic address: javiermarco.z@gmail.com.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marco Martínez
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montero Ruíz
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación, Servicio de Medicina Preventiva, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández Pérez
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Méndez Bailón
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: García Klepzig
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Virgen de la Macarena, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garrachón Vallo
keywords: Asistencia compartida; Encuesta; España; Healthcare organisation; Interconsultas; Interconsultations; Internist; Internista; Organización asistencial; Organización de recursos; Resource organisation; Shared care; Spain; Survey