Search

Studies conducted by various scientific societies have shown that the demand for specialized rheumatology care is greater than the projected growth of the workforce. Our research aims to assess the current status of the rheumatology workforce in Latin America.This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A survey was created on the RedCap platform. Data were analyzed with STATA 15® Software. We present descriptive analyses. The rate of inhabitants per rheumatologist was calculated using the number of rheumatologists practicing in each country and the inhabitants for year 2020.Our sample was composed by 19 PANLAR member countries in Latin America. Latin America has one rheumatologist per 106,838 inhabitants. The highest rate of rheumatologist per inhabitants was found in Uruguay (1 per 27,426 inhabitants), and the lowest was found in Nicaragua (1 per 640,648 inhabitants). Mean age was 51.59 (SD12.70), ranging between 28 and 96 years of age. Mean monthly compensation was USD $2382.6 (SD$1462.5). The country with lowest salary was Venezuela ($197), whereas the highest was Costa Rica ($4500).There is a high variability in rheumatologists' workforce characteristics in Latin America. These results could lead to policies aiming to increase the availability and income of rheumatologists, in order to increase opportunity and quality of care of patients living with rheumatic diseases. Key Points • The rheumatologists' workforce varies significantly among Latin American countries. • The supply of rheumatologists is insufficient for meeting the increasing need for specialists in this field.

Background/Objective Although mortality rates related with chikungunya (CHIK) outbreaks in Latin America's (LA's) dengue-endemic rural and new urban regions are low, dealing with symptoms and sequelae can both produce a significant burden of disease and diminish quality of life-from many months to years-after the acute phase of the infection, with a significant impact on public and individual health. The aim of this work was to establish Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology-Central American, Caribbean and Andean Rheumatology Association (ACCAR) consensus-conference endorsements and recommendations on the diagnosis and treatment of CHIK-related inflammatory arthropathies transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in LA. Methods Based on the Consensus Development Conference format, a panel of ACCAR rheumatologist voting members (n = 10) took part in this Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology initiative. Experts voted from a previous content analysis of the medical literature on CHIK, 4 subsequent topic conferences, and a workshop. Consensus represents the majority agreement (≥80%) achieved for each recommendation. Results The experts' panel reached 4 overarching principles: (1) CHIK virus (CHIKV) is a re-emergent virus transmitted by 2 species of mosquitoes: A. aegypti and A. albopictus; (2) CHIKV caused massive outbreaks in LA; (3) chronic CHIKV infection produces an inflammatory joint disease that, in some cases, can last for several months to years, and (4) currently, there are no vaccines or antivirals licensed for CHIKV infections. Recommendations Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology-ACCAR achieved 13 endorsements and recommendations on CHIK categorized in 3 groups: (1) epidemiology and clinical manifestations, (2) diagnosis, and (3) treatment, representing the consensus agreement from the panel's members.