Coordination between primary and cardiological care:: The opinion of the family doctor

Objective. To analyse the relationship between Primary and Cardiological Care from the perspective of family physicians. Methods. A descriptive-crossover study was carried out by a questionnaire sent by mail to a sample of 384 doctors systematically selected from the database of the College of Physicians of Madrid. Results. One hundred forty-eight physicians (38.5%) answered the questionnaire, 75% of whom saw more than 30 patients/week with cardiovascular risk factors and more than 10 patients/week with cardiac syndromes, in the following order: ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, valvular disease, cor pulmonale and others. Ninety percent of the physicians refer less than 10 patients/month to cardiologists, with a time delay of greater than a month in 50% of the cases. The document used for referral is the consultation form (98%) that is always or frequently answered. The quality of the cardiologist's report is either good or excellent in 50% of the cases. Accessibility to electrocardiograms and thorax x-rays by family doctors is of 99.3%. Family physicians have a very positive opinion regarding the need for hospital collaboration in their continuous training and coordination with cardiologists.