ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyse the relationship morbidity and utilization in the context of paediatric primary health care. To verify if the morbidity of children who most use primary care qualitatively different from the rest of the population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study of the utilization and morbidity over one year in two offices paediatric in a Health Center. Reasons for consulting were grouped into generic types of morbidity, analysing the different types of morbidity of each patient in relation to their level of use. RESULTS: Acute problems were the main reason behind demand. 85% of high users as opposed to 12% of low users showed recurrent morbidity and 23% as opposed to 7% showed chronic medical morbidity. 1.5% of high users as opposed to 47% of low users presented acute morbidity. Recurrent morbidity was associated with greater use due to acute morbidity and non-specific signs or symptoms. The child who only presented with acute type problems in the first half-year was less likely (relative risk: 0.57, IC 95%, 0.43-0.67) to be a high user in the second half. CONCLUSIONS: Children with high level of use group together and chronic medical morbidity whereas those with low level of demand more often present exclusively acute problems. The most part of visitor is caused by acute problems which patients who most consult present to a greater extent than the rest. Recurrent morbidity conditions greater demand due to acute and non-specific problems which are not necessarily associated from the biological point of view with the underlying illness.
