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Background/objective: Demand for rheumatology care has steadily increased in recent years. The number of specialists in this field, however, seems insufficient. No recent studies have diagnosed the attributes of rheumatology training in Latin America., Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. We obtained data on each country through local rheumatologists of the Pan-American League Against Rheumatism, who acted as principal investigators for participating countries. Our sample was analyzed and described through means and standard deviations or through frequencies and percentages, depending on the variable., Results: Countries with the most rheumatology-training programs were Brazil (n = 50), Argentina (n = 18), and Mexico (n = 15). Ecuador, Honduras, and Nicaragua do not have rheumatology-training programs. The countries with the most available slots for rheumatology residents were Brazil (n = 126) and Argentina (n = 36). To be admitted into rheumatology training, candidates were required to have completed graduate studies in internal medicine in 42.1% of the programs. In 8 countries (42.1%), residents are not required to pay tuition; the median cost of tuition in the remaining countries is US $528 (interquartile range, US $2153)., Conclusions: Conditions associated with rheumatology training in Latin America vary. Significant differences exist in income and tuition fees for residents, for example, and 4 countries in Latin America do not currently offer programs. Information collected in this study will be useful when comparing the status of rheumatology services offered in Latin America with those in other countries. Most countries require a wider offering of rheumatology-training programs, as well as more available slots., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Latin American rheumatologists from a professional, economic, and occupational point of view., Methods: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study using an online survey sent to rheumatologists of each non-English-speaking country member of the Pan American League of Rheumatology Associations (PANLAR). A specific questionnaire was developed., Results: Our survey included 1097 rheumatologists from 19 Latin American countries. Median (IQR) age of respondents was 48 (40-59) years and 618 (56.3%) were female. Duration of practice since graduation as a rheumatologist was 17 years, and 585 (53.3%) were aged < 50 years. Most rheumatologists worked in private practice (81.8%) and almost half worked in institutional outpatient centers (55%) and inpatient care (49.9%). The median number of weekly hours (IQR) of face-to-face practice before the pandemic was 27 (15-40) hours, but was reduced to 10 (5-20) hours during the pandemic. Telehealth was used by 866 (78.9%) respondents during the pandemic. Most common methods of communication were video calls (555; 50.6%), telephone calls (499; 45.5%), and WhatsApp voice calls (423; 38.6%). A reduction in monthly wages was reported by 946 (86.2%) respondents. Consultation fees also were reduced and 88 (8%) rheumatologists stated they had lost their jobs. A reduction in patient adherence to medication was reported by nearly 50% of respondents. Eighty-one (7.4%) rheumatologists received a COVID-19 diagnosis and 7 (8.6%) of them were hospitalized., Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped rheumatology practice in Latin America and has had a profound effect on rheumatologists' behaviors and clinical practice., (© 2021 The Journal of Rheumatology.)

Introduction: 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., Method: 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., Results: 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)., Conclusions: 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.

The increased number of donors from other countries leads to language, cultural, and communication barriers during the donation interview. Understanding how people have acquired their attitudes and beliefs will help create better intervention strategies. We studied the interviews performed during the last 7 years with the families of 90 donors who came from various countries. Our objectives to improve this situation were: first, to overcome language barriers with translators; second, we sought to bridge the cultural barrier by gaining knowledge of the cultures and religions via cultural mediators; and third, we prepared the professionals on methods to properly conduct the interview. We studied the impact of the introduction of cultural and linguistic mediators: health professionals with knowledge of various languages, which in some groups were of the same nationality as the family and had been trained in the donation interview. We also translated the information to be given to the family. Among 90 donors, 52% came from the European Union (65% British); 29% Latin America; 13%, Eastern European countries; and 5%, Northern Africa, totaling 26 nationalities. The average donor age was 54.16 +/- 20.1 years (range, 1-69 years); 42% were females and 58% males. Since the introduction of the cultural and linguistic mediators, family refusal of donation decreased from 40% to 7.1%.