Internações por condições sensíveis à atenção primária em crianças menores de dois anos em um município do interior do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Conditions Sensitive to Primary Health Care is a set of diseases and conditions whose proper approach in primary care can reduce complications and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations. These conditions include respiratory, gastrointestinal and chronic infections, reinforcing the importance service of qualified and accessible care for the reduction of morbidity-mortality and optimization of health resources. This cross-sectional study analyzed hospitalizations of children under two years of age in Caicó-RN, based on hospital data from 2023, in order to characterize hospitalizations in Conditions Sensitive to Primary Care. Of the 502 hospitalizations of children under 15 years of age, 201 were of under 2 years of age (40%), of these, 79.6% were attributed to HACSC. Bacterial pneumonia stood out as the main cause (51.2%), followed by infectious gastroenteritis and bronchitis.The avarage hospital stay was 3 days. It was observed a higher prevalence of hospitalizations in april and may, with emphasis for male children, reflecting seasonality and climatic factors. The analysis pointed out weaknesses in PHC related to prevention, early diagnosis and clinical management, indicating failures in monitoring and preventive actions, such as vaccination and guidance on hygiene and nutrition. Hospitalizations reflect social inequalities, such as precarious sanitation, and suggest improvements in the structure and effectiveness of PHC. The study concludes that strengthening PHC is vital to reduce HACSC and its social and economic impacts, recommending actions such as team qualification, expansion of vaccination coverage and improvement of health records, ensuring a integral and continuous care for child health.