Introduction:

emergency services constitute an essential link in medical care within the health system, connecting extra-hospital and hospital structures.

Objective:

to describe the main epidemiological aspects of pediatric consultations in the emergency department of the Sabancuy public hospital during the last quarter of the year 2022.

Methods:

a descriptive and cross-sectional investigation was carried out. The sample consisted of 64 patients under 18 years of age evaluated by the pediatrician in the emergency department during the aforementioned period. Variables were collected from the clinical records, such as: age, sex, reasons for medical attention, time of evolution of symptoms, diagnosis at discharge and need for hospitalization.

Results:

patients of preschool and school age (31,2 % and 28,1 % respectively) and male sex (56,3 % vs. 43,7 %) predominated. Fever was the most frequent reason for medical attention (51,6 %). Fifty percent of the patients were evaluated between the first and third day of symptom evolution. Of the series studied, 45,3 % were discharged from the emergency department with a diagnosis of acute respiratory infection. Only 17,2 % of the patients required hospitalization.

Conclusions:

pediatric consultations in the emergency department are frequent in preschool children, male and with acute respiratory infections in evolution. The febrile child constitutes a healthcare priority, due to the haste with which parents demand medical attention.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )