Problems of Treating Patients with Diseases of the Circulatory System in the Perception of Medical Workers: Experience of the Sverdlovsk Region

Abstract

Introduction: Consideration of the problems of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients is associated with the study of the subjective opinion of medical workers and the assessment of their role in the development of population health care. The objective of the study was to study the opinion of medical workers of the Sverdlovsk Region on the availability and quality of care for patients with diseases of the circulatory system. Methods: In February – March 2020, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey of 303 randomly chosen health professionals, mainly general practitioners and cardiologists, working in urban and rural health care facilities of the region. Results and discussion: The majority of the respondents believed that the patient’s adherence to prescribed treatment and rejection of bad habits contributed the most to mortality reduction. Standards of medical care and Russian clinical guidelines were reported as the most significant factors in making decisions on patient management. The respondents rated their own competence level quite low in determining the need for medical interventions. When assessing the quality of the follow-up care, the respondents reported regular monitoring of only four parameters (electrocardiogram, platelet and lipoprotein levels, and body weight), explaining the incompleteness of the process by limited opportunities for a proper examination in medical facilities. The health care providers noted the observance of sequencing (routing) in provision of medical care and the possibility of obtaining the necessary medicines; yet, almost half of the respondents specified that the recommended clinical examinations at the outpatient stage of treatment were conducted only in part. When assessing the effectiveness of work of healthcare centers for patients with chronic heart failure, positive changes were noted by 25 % of the respondents while 20 % reported a reduction in waiting time for high-tech care. Conclusion: The study of the opinion of medical workers helps reveal contradictions in rendering health services. Possessing a well-formed professional mindset, they reflect official (insider’s) views on the problems of the healthcare system in their assessments, but being involved in communication with patients, they express philistine opinions.