[Role of primary care in the frequent attendance to the emergency service of a county hospital].

OBJECTIVE

To know the sociodemographic variables influence on a county hospital emergency department attendance, spontaneous consults reasons and to analyze the derivations made from primary care.

DESIGN

Descriptive, crossover.

PATIENTS

All who attended the emergency department in this period, excluded the pediatrics population, moved patients and occasional emergencies (n = 755). We collected sociodemographic characteristics, emergency justification, way of access (spontaneous or referred), spontaneous visits reasons and doctor from whom refers.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Average age: 52 +/- 23. Mostly males. An 83% belongs to non-productive sectors. An 51.1% came without P10 alleging symptoms which suggested seriousness or because they considered that there are more means in a hospital. Emergencies referred from primary care, specially those referred by their family doctor were admitted in a bigger proportion and were more justified than the spontaneous ones. Self decision attendance decreases from the closest health basic area to the furthest, difference which is not observed in referred patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The emergency user in a hospital is a male, middle-aged, non-productive laboraly. Most patients referred from primary care (specialty those by the family doctor) are justified and produce incomes. Distance inversely influences spontaneous attendance, but does not influence patients referred from primary care.