[The demand for emergency services at pediatric hospitals: a study of 4,858 cases treated at the emergency department of a pediatric hospital].
Given the rise in hospital emergencies, a detailed study of the demand for emergency pediatric care is a must. We compiled 4,858 medical records elected at random and gathered data about global activity in the emergency department of pediatric hospital. The demand for emergency pediatric care grows faster than the corresponding population. The higher and lower patient influxes were on Sunday and Wednesday respectively. The peak rate of influx was attained at 8 pm, whereas the low happened at 6 am. Pediatric emergencies diminish with age and are less frequent in girls than in boys. Only 15.86% of the patients had been referred by a physician. Fever and accidents were the most frequent reason for consultation. Ear, nose and throat diseases are at the top and double in frequency the bronchopulmonary sickness. Analyses were done in 12% of the cases, radiographs were taken in 23% of the patients and 68.58% of the casualties were taken were care of without any of these means. The visit was finished in a mean of 1.99 hours, a swift performance. Of all the cases studied, 93.4% were discharged and 5.3% were admitted to the same hospital. Our data confirm and complete the one published fragmentarily in the Spanish literature. We emphasize that a primary pediatrician could have spared the emergency department a lot of work. We conclude that accessible continuous care must be offered in order to transcend patchwork in following growth and development through pediatric emergency rooms.
Gago García
C
C
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Ania Lafuente
B J
BJ
Luque Jiménez
M
M
Asenjo González
M
M
Poch Páez
J
J
D002648:Child; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain
Demanda urgente de asistencia pediátrica hospitalaria: estudio de 4.858 casos atendidos en el servicio de urgencias de un hospital infantil.