Abstract

VARONA PEREZ, Patricia et al. Use of health care services and pocket money expenses in asthmatic children aged 5-14 years: City of Havana, 2002. Rev Cubana Hig Epidemiol [online]. 2005, vol.43, n.3. ISSN 0253-1751.

The objective of the present paper was to determine the use of outpatient services by asthmatic pediatric patients and the costs of their care. A cohort of 232 asthmatic children (5 to 14 years of age) was used, who were randomly selected from two health areas of Cerro municipality in the City of Havana and monthly visited at home for 6 months in a row. The administered questionnaire explored variables linked to disease and extra costs from food, transportation and medication. For the analysis, ratios, means and percentiles (25-50-75) were used. The mean of contacts with health care services per patient was 3.6 (SD 4,5). The use of emergency services accounted for 49.1 % of the total number of appointments. The disease severity was a predictive factor for the use of outpatient services at different levels of care. Twenty seven percent of patients did not contact any health service, the use of which was associated neither to schooling nor thetype of work of the parents (p<0,3). Sixty five percent of families incurred in pocket money expenses that were significantly affected by the severity of disease. It was concluded that increased use of outpatient service by these patients is necessary, which will allow systematizing prevention actions at the primary care level. Pocket money expenses represented an important economic burden for the families and they can be reduced if the severity of disease-a predictive factor of the use of health care services-diminishes.

Keywords : Asthma; use of service; pocket money expenses.

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