PAEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES: A SURVEY

Key words: Paediatric Emergencies, Access, Paediatric Primary Care Providers

To analyse the activity of the Paediatric Emergency Unit of the “F. Del Ponte” Hospital in Varese, Italy, an analysis of 10,755 patients in the period June 2002-June 2003 was carried out. Findings show that 55.8% of the patients were male; most children (58%) were aged 1 month to 6 years. Thirteen per cent of all patients were admitted. December, week-ends, afternoons and evenings were the periods of higher attendance. Respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases (37% and 23% respectively) were the most frequent causes for attendance. The study stresses the need for improved collaboration between hospital emergency services and Paediatric Primary Care Providers.