ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Influenced by medical, scientific and social advances, the changes that have taken place in the needs of the population have given rise to a growing demand for health care in neuropaediatric pathology. The aim of this study was to determine the neuropaediatric health care requirements at the Hospital General Universitario de Guadalajara, a secondary care hospital that is a reference centre for the province of Guadalajara. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied the children up to the age of 10 years with a neurological pathology attended at the Hospital General Universitario de Guadalajara over an 8-year period, since the Neuropaediatric unit was opened on 1 July 1992. RESULTS: In all 1,236 children were evaluated, which represents 8.45% of all the children below the age of 10 in the province of Guadalajara, with an average of 154.5 new patients per year. There was a predominance of males, 56.4%, and a high percentage of very young children: 26.05% under the age of 1 year and 50.56% under the age of 3. There has been a progressive increase in the number of Neuropaediatric outpatients, which in the year 2000 accounted for 20% of first visits and 16% of the total number (first and successive) of Paediatric outpatients. 12.94% of the patients in our series had also been examined in different tertiary care hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: There is a very high demand for neuropaediatric care in Guadalajara and it is growing in a significant and progressive manner. We suggest it would be advisable to have a tertiary reference hospital available to help cope with this situation.
Subject(s)
Health Services Needs and Demand , Hospital Departments , Hospitals/statistics & numerical data , Neurology , Pediatrics , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Health Services Accessibility , Hospital Departments/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Infant , Male , Mexico , Referral and Consultation , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Introducción y objetivo. La necesidad de asistencia en patología neuropediátrica aumenta con los cambios experimentados por las necesidades de la población, determinados por los avances médicos, científicos y sociales. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido conocer las necesidades de actuación neuropediátrica en el Hospital General Universitario de Guadalajara, un hospital de nivel II, centro de referencia para la provincia de Guadalajara. Pacientes y métodos. Se han estudiado los niños de hasta 10 años con patología neurológica en el Hospital General Universitario de Guadalajara durante un período de 8 años, desde la apertura de la consulta de Neuropediatría, el 1 de julio de 1992. Resultados. Se han evaluado 1.236 niños, cifra que constituye el 8,45 por ciento de los niños de hasta 10 años de la provincia de Guadalajara, con una media de 154,5 pacientes nuevos por año. Ha habido un predominio de varones (56,4 por ciento) y un alto porcentaje de niños de corta edad, (26,05 por ciento menores de un año y 50,56 por ciento menores de 3 años). Se ha apreciado un incremento progresivo de la consulta externa de Neuropediatría, que ha llegado en el año 2000 a representar el 20 por ciento de las primeras visitas y el 16 por ciento del total (primeras y sucesivas) de consultas externas de Pediatría. El 12,94 por ciento de los pacientes de nuestra serie ha sido valorado además en diversos hospitales terciarios. Conclusiones. Existe una elevada demanda de actuación neuropediátrica en Guadalajara, que se incrementa de forma significativa y progresiva. Sería deseable la existencia de un hospital de referencia terciario (AU)
Introduction and aims. Influenced by medical, scientific and social advances, the changes that have taken place in the needs of the population have given rise to a growing demand for health care in neuropaediatric pathology. The aim of this study was to determine the neuropaediatric health care requirements at the Hospital General Universitario de Guadalajara, a secondary care hospital that is a reference centre for the province of Guadalajara. Patients and methods. We studied the children up to the age of 10 years with a neurological pathology attended at the Hospital General Universitario de Guadalajara over an 8-year period, since the Neuropaediatric unit was opened on 1 July 1992. Results. In all 1,236 children were evaluated, which represents 8.45% of all the children below the age of 10 in the province of Guadalajara, with an average of 154.5 new patients per year. There was a predominance of males, 56.4%, and a high percentage of very young children: 26.05% under the age of 1 year and 50.56% under the age of 3. There has been a progressive increase in the number of Neuropaediatric outpatients, which in the year 2000 accounted for 20% of first visits and 16% of the total number (first and successive) of Paediatric outpatients. 12.94% of the patients in our series had also been examined in different tertiary care hospitals. Conclusions. There is a very high demand for neuropaediatric care in Guadalajara and it is growing in a significant and progressive manner. We suggest it would be advisable to have a tertiary reference hospital available to help cope with this situation (AU)
