MEF Program Summary

• Digestive System Training Itinerary [Catalan] [Spanish]
• Schedule of rotations

The specialty

The specialty of the Digestive System deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases that affect the digestive tract and its adjacent glands (liver and pancreas). It is made up of three fundamental branches: Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Digestive Endoscopy related to each other.

Service Description

The areas of care for the Digestive System Service are Hospitalization, Day Hospital, Outpatient Consultations and Digestive Endoscopy.

The Hospitalization plant has a variable number of beds depending on the number of patients admitted with digestive pathology. There are two medical teams that follow the evolution of patients with liver and gastroenterological pathology, with residents rotating at that time. On the other hand, all patients who are in emergencies pending hospitalization are also followed by the teams of doctors of the Digestive Service.

The Day Hospital performs two types of functions: Scheduled care, where those therapeutic interventions that require specialized technical management (Infliximab infusion, intravenous iron infusion etc ...) and Continuing Care are performed.

In Continuing Care, all patients who have an exacerbation of their underlying digestive pathology or a onset of it are cared for during working hours. This care is provided at the request of the patient himself or by prior call by his family doctor or other doctors (emergency physicians ...). On the other hand, Continuing Care also cares for those patients who have been recently discharged from a hospital and who need preferential clinical and analytical control to prevent readmissions. This treats ascites with tension, outbreaks of inflammatory bowel disease, hepatic encephalopathy, etc.

In the area of ​​External Consultation, the various deputies of the Service as well as third and fourth year residents visit patients with digestive pathology in outpatient follow-up.

In Digestive Endoscopy, various diagnostic endoscopic tests are performed: upper digestive endoscopy, colonoscopy, echoendoscopy, enteroscopy and endoscopic capsule, as well as specific therapeutics. There is also a shared room with radiodiagnosis for performing ERCP or other endoscopic therapeutic techniques that require the use of radiology.

The Endoscopy Unit also performs digestive functional tests: pHmetry and esophageal and anorectal manometry.

The care of patients with digestive pathology is carried out within a multidisciplinary field. Other specialists such as radiologists, surgeons or pathologists with whom we are in contact on a weekly basis through multidisciplinary clinical sessions are involved in the patient's decision-making and therapeutic approach. Clinical decision-making committees are set up to increase the quality of care, streamline circuits and play an important role in teaching and research.

Service Structure

The Digestive System Service consists of 15 doctors, nursing staff and the support of an administrator.