title: Hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions, Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, 2000 and 2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE To analyze hospitalization rates and the proportion of deaths due to ambulatory care-sensitive hospitalizations and to characterize them according to coverage by the Family Health Strategy, a primary health care guidance program. METHODS An ecological study comprising 853 municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, under the purview of 28 regional health care units, was conducted. We used data from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System. Ambulatory care-sensitive hospitalizations in 2000 and 2010 were compared. Population data were obtained from the demographic censuses. RESULTS The number of ambulatory care-sensitive hospitalizations declined from 20.75/1,000 inhabitants [standard deviation (SD) = 10.42) in 2000 to 14.92/thousand inhabitants (SD = 10.04) in 2010 Heart failure was the most frequent cause in both years. Hospitalizations rates for hypertension, asthma, and diabetes mellitus, decreased, whereas those for angina pectoris, prenatal and birth disorders, kidney and urinary tract infections, and other acute infections increased. Hospitalization durations and the proportion of deaths due to ambulatory care-sensitive hospitalizations increased significantly. CONCLUSIONS Mean hospitalization rates for sensitive conditions were significantly lower in 2010 than in 2000, but no correlation was found with regard to the expansion of the population coverage of the Family Health Strategy. Hospitalization rates and proportion of deaths were different between the various health care regions in the years evaluated, indicating a need to prioritize the primary health care with high efficiency and quality.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de CiÃªncias MÃ©dicas e da SaÃºde de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rita Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rodrigues-Bastos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de SaÃºde Coletiva, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Estela Márcia Saraiva
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de EstatÃ-stica, Instituto de CiÃªncias Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luiz Cláudio
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Instituto Estadual de Cardiologia Aloysio de Castro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Mauro Gomes
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bastos Filho
authors.affiliation: Departamento de SaÃºde Coletiva, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Bustamante-Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*