LARS study: Latin American rheumatologist survey.

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Medical Workforce Analysis
• Latin American Healthcare

Background:

• Limited data exists on rheumatologist education, working conditions, productivity, and job satisfaction in Latin America.
• This study addresses the information gap concerning the rheumatology workforce in the region.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the training and clinical practice characteristics of rheumatologists in Latin America.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of the rheumatology community's demographics and professional environment.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional digital survey was distributed to rheumatology associations across Latin America.
• Data from 600 rheumatologists across 19 countries were analyzed using SPSS v.22.

Main Results:

• The majority of respondents were female (53%) and mestizo (58%), with a mean age of 46.8 years.
• Most rheumatologists worked in public/government hospitals (33.5%) with an average of 37.8 working hours weekly.
• Average satisfaction was high for practice (5.3/7) and colleagues (4.5/7), but lower for income (3.5/7), with 69.7% earning less than $50,000 USD annually.

Conclusions:

• Most Latin American rheumatologists are women in public hospitals, satisfied with their practice but facing low income.
• Challenges include ethnic diversity, gender disparities, migration, educational access, limited research, and low compensation.
• Analyzing the current rheumatology workforce and future supply/demand is crucial given disease prevalence and professional shortages.