Factors associated to inappropriate use of emergency services

The increase in the demand for Emergency Services is a worldwide phenomenon, and its inappropriate use is one of the main problems. Factors related to the inappropriate use must be investigated to guide improvement in the quality of services. This article aims at analyzing factors associated with the inappropriate use of emergency services. This is a cross-sectional study with secondary data from 384 medical records from two emergency services in a city in central-southern region of the state of Paraná, Brazil, in 2013. A descriptive, bivariate using Pearson's chi-squared test was performed to verify associations between inappropriate use and independent variables. Multiple Logistic Regression was also performed. The proportion of inappropriate use of Emergency Services was 73.4% and was associated with people with some primary health care sensitive conditions, residents in areas without primary care coverage, people between 0 and 11 years old, and 12 to 17 years old, care in the first trimester of the year, respiratory diseases, lesions and poisonings and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Primary care must be strengthened to reduce the inappropriate use of care, especially in the attention to primary health care sensitive conditions and to increase the socio-organizational accessibility.