[Registration of patients with chronic diseases]

The authors describe registers of chronic diseases, provisions regarding their contents and organizational aspects. They make the reader familiar with the collection, storage and evaluation of data and some problems with their safeguarding. They report their experience with recommended questionnaires and the structure of forms. They describe the activities of the doctor completing the forms as well as the activities associated with recording in the centre. The authors demonstrate possible types of outputs and whom they serve. They illustrate the results of their work on the example of data from the register for diabetes mellitus of the juvenile type I and rheumatic fever. They discuss the role of registers in the health services, their role in ensuring the health status of the population, planning and management of the health services. In the conclusion they mention new technical possibilities.