PROCESS OF CARE IN AN EMERGENCY SERVICE: ANALYSIS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE FIRST LEVEL OF CARE.

Abstract

The goal of Primary Care is the prevention and the promotion of health; when necessary, the patient must be derived to a secondary or tertiary care. The attention of an Emergency Service will be analyzed having this in mind. Main Objective: To know the opportunity of derivation of the patients to an Emergency Service. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-section study performed in a Collective Medical Assistance Institution from the private sector in Montevideo. During the month of September of 2010, 2751 consultations were made, by random sampling 80 consultations were selected. The following variables were
studied: sex, age, address, policlinic of reference, waiting time, permanence time in the service, reason for consultation, diagnostic, procedures and tests. Results: 63,1% were women. Most consultations were from children from ages 0 to 14 (27,6%). In 36,7% of the cases there was no record of the reason for consultation in the clinical records. 92% of the sample was given the release. 30,3% of the people left after being seen by the doctor, without having tests
done, nor any procedures or consultations with other specialists. Conclusions: Taking into consideration that 92% of the people were released and almost a third required of only a medical consultation, it is considered that they should have been attended at a Primary Care policlinic, optimizing the Emergency
Service’s resources.