[An analysis of the relationship between morbidity and the level of demand for pediatric primary care. A study on 1359 children].
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the relationship morbidity and utilization in the context of paediatric primary health care. To verify if the morbidity of children who most use primary care qualitatively different from the rest of the population.


METHODS
Prospective study of the utilization and morbidity over one year in two offices paediatric in a Health Center. Reasons for consulting were grouped into generic types of morbidity, analysing the different types of morbidity of each patient in relation to their level of use.


RESULTS
Acute problems were the main reason behind demand. 85% of high users as opposed to 12% of low users showed recurrent morbidity and 23% as opposed to 7% showed chronic medical morbidity. 1.5% of high users as opposed to 47% of low users presented acute morbidity. Recurrent morbidity was associated with greater use due to acute morbidity and non-specific signs or symptoms. The child who only presented with acute type problems in the first half-year was less likely (relative risk: 0.57, IC 95%, 0.43-0.67) to be a high user in the second half.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with high level of use group together and chronic medical morbidity whereas those with low level of demand more often present exclusively acute problems. The most part of visitor is caused by acute problems which patients who most consult present to a greater extent than the rest. Recurrent morbidity conditions greater demand due to acute and non-specific problems which are not necessarily associated from the biological point of view with the underlying illness.
Polo Martín
P
P
Unidad de Pediatría, Centro de Salud de Vall d'Uxó, Valencia.
Reyes Díaz
E
E
Mateu Mahiques
J
J
Casanova Matutano
C
C
D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology