Objectives
The aim of this study is to determine what type of pathologies we are facing. We use the International Classification of Primary Care to ensure an objective and comparable nomenclature.
Methods
We carried out a descriptive, observational, and retrospective study of a sample comprising 108102 primary care encounters of patients presenting at our hospital's Emergency Room to assess the epidemiology of the pediatric care provided between 2011 and 2019. We used the ICPC-2 diagnosis classification system.
Results
The number of attendances was higher in January, February, and March, as well as at weekends. After being seen, 6.7% of patients were admitted to our hospital. The most frequent pathologies were upper respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis, fever and trauma/injury. Pathologies most frequently resulting in hospital admissions were fever, bronchitis, gastroenteritis and vomiting (p>0.001). In hospital admissions involving patients under 1 year of age, bronchitis was the most frequent pathology, while among those aged between 1 and 6 years, it was gastroenteritis and among those aged between 7 and 14 years it was acute appendicitis (p<0.001).
Conclusions
Pediatric pathologies account for a significant percentage of visits to the emergency room, highlighting infections of the upper respiratory tract, intestinal infections, and fever. It would be necessary to increase staff resources on the weekends. It is highly recommended to emphasize the health education of the population to adjust the demand for assistance in public services. More research is required to better adapt the ICPC-2 terminology.
Key Words: Emergencies; Fever; Trauma; Unintentional injury. |
