Analysis of patients shared in consultations of internal medicine and other medical specialties

Abstract

Background and objectiveThe aging population is resulting in an increasing number of patients with multiple diseases that require treatment by various specialties. We examined the evolution of consultations and of the percentage of patients treated by several medical specialties. MethodsWe analyzed internal medicine (IM) consultations and those of other medical specialties in a hospital during 1997, 2007 and 2017 for the general population and for those older than 65 years. ResultsOver the course of 20 years, the rate of first IM consultations per 1000 inhabitants increased 44%, and that of other medical specialties increased 137%. The percentage of patients seen by more than one specialty went from 13.8% in 1997 to 32.6% in 2017 and reached 45.5% for those older than 65 years. ConclusionsThe care for populations with growing comorbidity has a major impact on health systems and requires organizational changes for their care.