Influence of demographic changes on the number of visits to hospital emergency departments: 13 years experience

The aim of the present study is to describe the trend in volume and age-specific rates in visits to the Paediatric Emergency Department of a university teaching hospital in Cantabria (Spain) from January 2001 to December 2013, and evaluate the influence of population growth on Emergency Department u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anales de Pediatría 2018-06, Vol.88 (6), p.322-328
Main Authors: Guerra Diez, José Lorenzo, Gaite Pindado, Luis, Álvarez Álvarez, Cristina, Leonardo Cabello, María Teresa, Álvarez Granda, Lino, Cabero Pérez, María Jesús
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data
Facilities and Services Utilization - statistics & numerical data
Hospitals, University
Humans
Infant
Population Growth
Retrospective Studies
Spain
Time Factors
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Summary:The aim of the present study is to describe the trend in volume and age-specific rates in visits to the Paediatric Emergency Department of a university teaching hospital in Cantabria (Spain) from January 2001 to December 2013, and evaluate the influence of population growth on Emergency Department use. A retrospective study was conducted in which an analysis was made on all Emergency Department visits over a 13 year period. Simple and polynomial linear regressions were used to assess the relationship between population size and Emergency Department attendance rates across 2 age groups (0-2 and 3-14 years). From 2001 to 2013, attendance in the Emergency Department increased by 14.1%, whereas the paediatric population rose by 26.3%. Rates of presentation per head of population were greatest among those aged
ISSN:2341-2879
DOI:10.1016/j.anpedi.2017.06.012