Variability in resource consumption in patients with spondyloarthritis in Spain. Preliminary descriptive data from the emAR II study.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to describe the variability in the management of spondyloarthritis (SA) in Spain in terms of healthcare resources and their use.
METHODS: A review of 1168 medical files of patients seen in randomly selected Spanish hospital rheumatology departments. We analyzed demographic variables and variables related to the consumption of health resources.
RESULTS: The total number of visits to rheumatology were 5,908 with a rate of 254 visits/100 patient-years. The total number of visits to rheumatology specialty nurses was 775, with a rate of 39 visits/100 patient-years, and there were 446 hospitalizations, representing a rate of 22 per 100 patient-years. The number of admissions due to SA was 89, with a rate of 18 admissions/100 patient-years. Total visits to other specialists was 4,307 with a rate of 200/100 patient-years. The total number of orthopedic surgeries was 41, which leads to a rate of 1.8 surgeries/100 patient-years.
CONCLUSIONS: The data regarding visits to the rheumatologist and prosthetic surgery of patients with in Spain is similar to most studies published in our environment, however, other aspects concerning the use of health resources are different compared to other countries. This data may help to understand and improve organizational aspects of management of SA in Spanish hospitals.