Continuity of care in the approach to cardiac patients: from theory to practice/Continuidad asistencial en el abordaje del paciente cardiaco: de la teoría a la práctica

The Department of Cardiology of our hospital has a catchment population of 135,000 people. Until 2005, the relationship between the various levels of care (primary care, and secondary and tertiary hospitals) was incidental. Patients were seen at different levels of care and complementary tests were duplicated due to the lack of connections between these levels, with all the implications this has for patients, quite apart from the associated costs for the health service.