RESUMO
BACKGROUND: the pediatric medical emergencie's of Tunisian child's hospital service manages all children fifteen years old. It receives 45,000 children in year in average. THE AIMS: Establish an epidemiologic profile of consultants and study the encountred morbidity. METHODS: We made a transversal describing study of the pediatric emergencie's activity during three successive months in 2004 (February, March, April). We described the characteristics of the population consulting this service, study the severity and immediate behaviours in emergencies. RESULTS: The number of all consultants is 10,560 children during these three months. 54.9% of cases are between one month old and two years old, 54.7% of them are boys. The recruitment mode is direct in 92.9% of cases. The maximum of consultants is in the week-ends with an average of 129 patients per day. In the other days of the week, the average number is 115 +/- 27 patients per day ant the extrems are 75 and 225 patients per day. In the morning, a third of the daily activity is made. the morbidity is dominated by the pulmonary pathologies in 39.9% of cases otorhinolarygologic affections in 31.8% of cases gastroenterologic pathologies in 6.72% of cases and brain system's pathology in 3.43% of cases. The neonatal affection represents 2.74% of total consultants. At the end of the consultations, 38.7% of patients go back home with medical prescriptions. 45.6% of them receive nebulisations and 21.3% are hospitalized. The bulk is the first dysfunction of the emergencies service. The second dysfunction is the inappropriate use of this service which works like a first structure. Some affections such as febrile seizures, pyelonephritis are excessively hospitalized in 97.5% and 100% respectively. CONCLUSION: The dysfunction of pediatric medical emergencies's service can be improved by sanitary education of the parents about the role of emergencie's service and the formation of the doctors in the management of patients suffering from usual emergencies.
