OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article is to present the data collected by Datafolha institute, from September 23rd. through October 18th. 2010 about orthopedic trauma care in Brazil. METHOD: A quantitative analysis based on telephonic interviews has been performed. From Brazilian Orthopedic Society database containing more than 7000 records. A structured query has been applied and the interview lasted around 25 minutes. RESULTS: 97% of interviewees dedicate part of his/her time to orthopedic trauma. 87% of all interviewees dedicate his/her time to more than one sub-specialty. The majority of orthopedic trauma patients comes from government insurance system (43%), while 41% of patients come from private insurance. 61% of all interviewees think that the quality of public health system could be rated as unsatisfactory. Northeast of Brazil is the place where the majority of patients are from public health system and where we have highest rates of dissatisfaction (85%) related to available infrastructure for orthopedic trauma care. Half of all interviewed individuals have problems for getting private insurance authorization previously to a surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Orthopedic trauma is a specialty practiced by the vast majority of orthopedic surgeons in our country. Neither the infrastructure nor the salaries satisfy the majority or orthopedic surgeons dedicated to trauma care.
Trauma; Orthopedics; Infrastructure
