Factors associated with the care of children and adolescents for external causes in emergency service

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the characteristics of children and adolescents treated for external causes in an emergency service. Method: this is a retrospective, analytical study, developed in the emergency department of a sentinel hospital in southern Brazil. Seventy-nine children and adolescents, victims of external causes, participated in June to December 2018. Data were collected through access to medical records in May 2019. Descriptive analysis, frequency comparison and Odds Ratio were used to measure the association between the variables studied. Confidence Interval (CI) of 95% and P value of 5% were used. Results: approximately 9.3% of pediatric emergency and emergency care were due to external causes; of these, 57% of the victims are under 12 years old and most of them are male (67%). Accidents are the most frequent events (71%), but violence is more frequent (61%) among women (p=0.002). The chance of violence is four times higher in women, especially self-inflicted violence/suicide attempts. Conclusion: one out of ten pediatric emergency care is due to external causes, and emerging situations of violence and self-inflicted injuries stand out, a direct implication for public policies.