Hospitalizations due to primary pediatric care sensitive conditions in the distrito federal

an exploratory ecological study

Abstract

Objective: to characterize the hospitalizations of children from zero to nine years old for primary care sensitive conditions in a regional hospital in the Federal District (Distrito Federal, DF), Brazil, between 2008 and 2017. Method: this is an ecological, exploratory study in which the hospitalizations for primary care sensitive conditions (HPCSCs) were described considering the following variables: group of causes and diagnoses, gender,
age group, municipality of residence, deaths and cost. Data was collected through the Hospital Notifications System of the Unified Health System, based on the Brazilian List
of Hospitalizations due to Sensitive Conditions. In addition to characterizing the HPCSCs according to the variables described, the annual HPCSC rates were calculated for the
age groups of children <5 years old and from 5 to 9 years old and a chi-square test was performed. Results: they indicate the total of 7,037 HPCSCs in children from zero to nine years old during the study period. The HPCSC rates for zero to four years old increased 35.43% and, in the five to nine years old age group, they increased 69.56% in the period. Asthma, bacterial pneumonias and infectious gastroenteritis and complications were the first three causes accounting together for 52.51% of hospitalizations. Total spending was estimated at R$2,805,551.53, with an increase of 10.23% in expenses, comparing the first with
the last year of the series. The largest expense was with asthma, disbursing 27.93% of the total. Conclusion: In this sense, decreasing HPCSCs in children is important to improve the population's health levels, to better manage the system, and to reduce hospital expenses.