[Emergency department utilization by XXXX aged less than two years old].

@entity1 @entity2613
BACKGROUND: Emergency department visits are rising although birth rate is decreasing. OBJECTIVE: To compare emergency department.( @entity2613 ) utilization in the cohorts of @entity1 born in 1991 and 1996 in a health district. METHOD: We performed a two-year retrospective cohort study in the health district of Mieres (Spain). All @entity1 born in the health district in 1991 (n 600) and 1996 (n 423) were included. The number of visits to the @entity2613 was obtained and the frequency and mean number of visits in the first 2 years of life were calculated according to age, sex, and area of residence. RESULTS: The gross number of visits did not vary (1991: 852; 1996: 853), despite a decrease in birth rate. The number of @entity1 who attended the @entity2613 at least once increased by 34.8 % (1991, 60.6 %; 1996, 82 %) and the frequency of visits increased by 41.7 % (1991, 142.2 %; 1996, 201.4 %). More than 60 % of visits were made by 20 % (1991) of the @entity1 and by 29 % (1996). The percentage of @entity1 who attended the @entity2613 , the frequency rate and the mean number of visits were significantly higher in the municipality nearest the hospital than in the remaining municipalities in the health district. CONCLUSIONS: Although the gross number of visits to the @entity2613 remained unchanged, @entity2613 utilization increased substantially in only 5 years.
