Prevalence of foreign patients seeking maxillofacial care at Juan Pablo Pina Regional Teaching Hospital
Description
This dataset corresponds to a descriptive study conducted at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic of the Juan Pablo Pina Regional Teaching Hospital in the Dominican Republic. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of foreign patients accessing this public healthcare service. The research addresses the limited availability of information regarding immigrant utilization of specialized oral and maxillofacial healthcare services and its implications for healthcare resource allocation and service planning. The study population included patients attending the maxillofacial surgery clinic who met the established inclusion criteria. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected using a structured data collection form designed by the researchers and validated by oral and maxillofacial surgery specialists. Variables included age, sex, nationality, reason for consultation, and health insurance status. Data collection was conducted following institutional and hospital approvals, and descriptive statistical analyses were performed using frequencies and percentages. The results showed that foreign patients represented 2.7% (n=18) of the total sample of 662 patients. All foreign patients identified in the study were of Haitian nationality. Facial trauma was the most common reason for consultation, accounting for 51.5% (n=341) of all cases. The predominant demographic group consisted of males aged 26–60 years, representing the majority of patients seeking maxillofacial care. Among foreign patients, 89% (n=16) had health insurance coverage, compared with 83% (n=527) of Dominican patients. However, the small number of foreign participants limits the representativeness of this finding. The study concludes that the prevalence of foreign patients attending specialized maxillofacial services is low despite the documented use of public healthcare services by immigrant populations in the Dominican Republic. Haitian nationals were the only foreign group represented during the study period. Facial trauma emerged as the primary condition requiring specialized care, highlighting the role of maxillofacial surgery in the management of traffic- and violence-related injuries. The findings contribute to understanding immigrant access to specialized healthcare services and provide evidence that may support healthcare planning, resource management, and the development of public policies related to migrant health.
Files
Steps to reproduce
Data were collected from the daily attendance records of patients who attended the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic at the Juan Pablo Pina Regional Teaching Hospital. Information from these records was manually extracted and entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for organization and analysis. The dataset was compiled following the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria. Records containing incomplete, missing, or illegible information were excluded from the final dataset. The remaining records were reviewed, coded, and organized according to the study variables, including age, sex, nationality, reason for consultation, and health insurance status. Microsoft Excel was used for data entry, data cleaning, organization, and preparation of the dataset for descriptive statistical analysis. Frequencies and percentages were calculated to summarize categorical variables, and graphical representations were generated to facilitate data interpretation. This workflow enabled the creation of a structured dataset suitable for evaluating the prevalence and characteristics of foreign patients attending specialized oral and maxillofacial healthcare services.
Institutions
- Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez UreñaNacional, Santo Domingo