title: What brings newborns to the emergency department?: a 1-year study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Characterization of newborn visits to the pediatric emergency department (PED). Analysis of the main illnesses and establishment of association between certain conditions and severity of diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study information concerning newborns (aged <28 days) who presented to the PED of Hospital Central de Faro during 2005. We studied the clinical and demographic data referring to the PED's episode and to perinatal occurrences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 540 neonates visited the PED (1.5% of the total PED use), with an average age of 14.0 days and a slight prevalence of males (53.1%). Of the total visits, 17.2% were primary physician referrals. The chief complaints were jaundice, excessive crying, and rash. Diagnostic tests were requested in 27.2% cases. The major diagnoses were nonapparent disease, infant colics, and physiologic jaundice. In 13.0%, hospital admission was necessary. Newborns with referral, those with less than 37 weeks of gestation and those whose delivery weight was less than 2500 g, were more likely to be admitted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most PED visits were because of nonserious diseases, mainly because of insufficient caretaker knowledge and information. This highlights the great need for caretakers' education by health staff. It is also important that physicians are aware of the main illnesses in the newborn period and know how to correctly identify the conditions associated to serious pathology.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Central de Faro, Faro, Portugal. caladoclau@gmail.com
authors.forename: Cláudia Silva
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Calado
authors.forename: Andreia Gomes
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Vera Neves
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Maria José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: José Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Maio
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005865:Gestational Age; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D007239:Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies