[Determinants of the use of pediatric consultations: study of child morbidity and maternal variables].

OBJECTIVE

To know the relations of the frequency of the pediatrics consultations with the maternal use of the consultations of family medicine, the maternal perception of his son's health, the events happened previously in the family, the infantile morbidity and socioeconomic condition.

DESIGN

Prospective and observational study, duration 12 months.

EMPLACEMENT

Primary care.

PATIENTS

261 children from 0 to 12 years old selected by systematic randomized pattern. The mother was required to have history in the center.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS

The dependent variable was the frequentation to the pediatric clinics, and the independent variables were the mother frequentation to the medical clinics; perception of its son's health, measured by health questionnaire; inventory of previous events according to Holmes and Rahe's questionnaire; sociodemographic variables and children morbidity registered in the medical files. The mean of infantile frequentation proved to be 10.18 visits per year (7.9 DS). 12% of children were high users and they accounted for 42% of all contacts. The variables associated to the frequentation were: age smaller than the boy, infantile morbidity and maternal frequent to the medical services, p < 0.001 for each one the variables. Those variables explained 40.8% of the variance in volume of care.

CONCLUSIONS

The maternal use exercises an independent influence in the use of the pediatric services. Educative performances directed to the mother could improve this behaviour. The age is a predisposing factors of frequentation to the infantile services. The conditions of health are a potent predictor of frequentation, those children require more cares to attend their needs. Educational strategies which improve the level of maternal cares to the child in situation of illness could diminish the cares which are offered in pediatrics.