TREND IN HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR PRIMARY CARE-SENSITIVE CONDITIONS IN TWO AMAZONIAN REGIONS OF PARÁ, BRAZIL

Anuncio preliminar

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the trend of hospitalizations for primary care-sensitive conditions (PCSC) in the Baixo Amazonas and Tapajós health regions, in the state of Pará, Brazil, from 2014 to 2023. Material and Method: Longitudinal ecological
study conducted in two regions of epidemiological relevance that have structural challenges in the primary health care (PHC) network, such as low sanitation coverage and the presence of riverside and indigenous populations. All hospital admission authorizations from the Hospital Information System for residents in
these regions were analyzed when the main diagnosis corresponded to the official list of 19 PCSC groups defined by Ordinance SAS/MS No. 221/2008. The dependent variable was the annual hospitalization rate for PCSC per 100,000 inhabitants, calculated as the ratio between the number of hospitalizations to the
estimated population by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), standardized by age. Temporal trends were assessed using Prais–Winsten linear regression, considering statistical significance at p<0.05. Results: A statistically
significant downward trend in PCSC rates was identified in both regions, with a steeper decline observed in the Tapajós region. The main causes of hospitalization were gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and diabetes mellitus. Inequalities were observed in the distribution of causes and in the most affected age groups, revealing different patterns of vulnerability. Conclusions: Despite the downward trend in PCSC rates, challenges related to case underreporting and the limited problem-solving capacity of PHC remain. Using secondary data may result in an underestimation of the observed rates. This reinforces the need for intersectoral and territorialized strategies, sensitive to regional specificities, to strengthen
primary care in the Amazonian region.