Musculoskeletal shoulder complaints: characteristics of patients and consultations in primary care

ABSTRACT Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal complaint of the world population. It affects the physical, psychological and financial situation of the individual. Primary care is essential to an effective health care for affected patients. This cross-sectional and observational study has the purpose of characterizing the profile of users of the primary health care service, and analyzing the medical records with shoulder pain reports over an one-year period in the primary care service of Ribeirão Preto - SP. Medical records of patients with scheduled and unscheduled medical consultations were analyzed. Data from patients with musculoskeletal shoulder pain - sociodemographic data and the consultation characteristics - were collected and analyzed descriptively and by Pearson’s Chi-squared test, Odds Ratio and Multiple Logistic Regression. The frequency of shoulder pain in the primary care was 9.2%. The profile of individuals who complained about shoulder pain was advanced age, married, literate and working women. Most consultations had scheduled follow-up consultations, therapeutic guidance and few referrals.