Cronicidad y uso de servicios sanitarios: la formación entre iguales de la Escuela de Pacientes.

To evaluate the impact of the training strategy of the Escuela de Pacientes (School of Patients) on the use of health services among people with chronic diseases. Quantitative design study of pretest and posttest evaluation with a population of 3,350 chronic patients of the Escuela de Pacientes (Andalusia, 2013-2015). A questionnaire adapted from the Stanford University was used. It measured the self-perceived health, number of health visits, and level of trust and communication with health personnel. A descriptive and bivariate study, a correlation study and a pretest/posttest net gain analysis were performed. Participation of 964 patients (28.8% of the population), of which 18.8% were men, mean age 56 years. Training increased trust in Primary Care (PC) and Hospital Care (HC) professionals (0.44 and 0.65 points), medical visits decreased by 25%, and hospital admissions fell by 51% with statistically significant differences by sex and disease. The correlation index between trust in professionals and use of health services was -0.215. The training strategy had a positive impact on the use of health services and trust in health professionals, and were identified areas of improvement from which recommendations are established