The profile of adolescents assisted by the emergency department of a Brazilian private tertiary hospital

• Published in: Clinics (São Paulo, Brazil) Brazil), 2024-01, Vol.79, p.100502, Article 100502
• Main Authors: Helito, Alberto Carame, Fonseca, Ricardo Luiz Affonso, Siqueira, Ana Helena D'Arcadia de, Ferrer, Carol Machado, Faria, Guilherme Ramos de, Morais, Isabella Rocha, Junior, Julio Cesar Arnoni, Breziniscki, Mateus de Paiva, Morinaga, Christian Valle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; Child; Emergency department; Emergency room; Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data; Female; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Hospitals, Private - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Original; Profile; Retrospective Studies; Teenagers; Tertiary Care Centers - statistics & numerical data; Tertiary hospital; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322; 1980-5322
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinsp.2024.100502

•Adolescent particularities are not always considered for consultations at the ED.•Flu-like symptoms were the single main reason for adolescents to search for immediate health care.•Limb trauma was more common in younger and male teenagers.•Acute abdominal pain/trauma were the most frequent causes of hospital admissions.•There was a strong correlation between age and both admission rate and severity. Adolescents represent an important demographic percentage in the studied population and in Emergency Departments (ED). It is imperative that health professionals and services are prepared to address this population. This work aims to characterize adolescents at the ED of a Brazilian private tertiary hospital. The study was an observational, retrospective longitudinal cohort that included 37,450 visits of patients aged 10 to 21 years of age, between January 2018 and June 2022 in the ED of a private tertiary hospital. The study evaluated the reason for the consultation, diagnosis, need for hospitalization, the medical professional responsible for the care, severity, and paying source of care. 53.7% were female. Mean age was 16.2y for girls and 15.6y for boys (p < 0.005). The most common complaints were flu-like symptoms (17.4%), sore throat (8.2%), fever (6.7%) and limb trauma (6.3%). Flu-like symptoms were the main consultations caused in all age groups and genders. 36.8% were attended by a general practitioner, 35.8% by a pediatrician, 15.1% by orthopedics and 5.6% by surgeons. The hospitalization rate was 5.5%. There was a strong correlation between age and hospitalization rate (correlation coefficient [r = 0.93]; p < 0.001). The most prevalent diagnoses in hospitalizations were acute abdomen (12.7%) and trauma (9.4%). 78.2% of the consultations were classified as “not urgent”. There was a strong correlation between age and severity (r = 0.86; p < 0.001). 92.7% of the consultations were paid by medical insurance. In this study, flu-like symptoms were the single main reason for adolescents to search for immediate health care, in every age subgroup and gender, but represented a small risk for hospital admission. Limb trauma was more common in younger male teenagers. Acute abdominal pain and trauma were the most frequent causes of hospital admissions. There was a significant and strong correlation between age and both admission rate and severity.