The specialty of allergy and clinical immunology in Brazil

Luane Marques de Mello; Faradiba Sarquis Serpa; Joseane Chiabai; Fátima Rodrigues Fernandes; Herberto José Chong-Neto; Emanuel Sávio Cavalcanti Sarinho; Norma de Paula Motta Rubini; Dirceu Solé

doi:10.3389/falgy.2022.933816

The specialty of allergy and clinical immunology in Brazil

Front Allergy. 2022 Jul 18:3:933816. doi: 10.3389/falgy.2022.933816. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Luane Marques de Mello^{1

2}, Faradiba Sarquis Serpa^{2

3}, Joseane Chiabai^{4

5}, Fátima Rodrigues Fernandes^{2

6

7}, Herberto José Chong-Neto^{2

8}, Emanuel Sávio Cavalcanti Sarinho^{2

9}, Norma de Paula Motta Rubini^{2

10}, Dirceu Solé^{2

11}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
² Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI), São Paulo, Brazil.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, School of Sciences of Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Vitória, Vitória, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil.
⁵ Scientific Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI), São Paulo, Brazil.
⁶ Division of Allergy and Immunology Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁷ PENSI Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁸ Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
⁹ Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
¹⁰ Full School of Medicine and Surgery of the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
¹¹ Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the profile of allergist/immunologist (A/I) physicians in Brazil, the workplace, the access to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on professional practice.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted as an online survey. All adhering members of the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI) received a Google Forms tool by email. The questionnaire addressed sociodemographic and professional aspects of the Brazilian allergists/immunologists (A/I) daily routine. The information was analyzed by SPSS version 20.0.

Results: Four hundred and sixty members answered the questionnaire. Women were predominant among the responders (336; 73%), and the median age was 47 years (range, 27-82 years). Most participants worked in the private sector (437, 95%), whereas 256 (47%) worked in the public sector. Among the public sector employees, 210 (82%) reported having access to some diagnostic test for allergic diseases and inborn errors of immunity. Only 91 (35%) A/I physicians in the public system had access to allergen-specific immunotherapy, compared to 416 (95, 9%) of those in the private sector. Regarding biological drugs, 135 (52.7%) and 314 (71.9%) of the A/I physicians working in the public and private sector, respectively, reported access. Two hundred and eighty-three (61.6%) had at least a 50% reduction in the number of consultations, and 245 (56%) provided telemedicine care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion: Brazilian A/I have incorporated the most recent advances in managing immunoallergic diseases into their clinical practice, but they still have little access to various diagnostic methods. Strategies to enable the presence of A/I in public health services should be discussed and implemented. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the incorporation of telemedicine as a viable and promising method of medical care and can expand access to the specialty.

Keywords: allergy and immunology; health policies; integral health care; professional profile; telemedicine.