Accessibility and care pathways for children admitted to hospital for ambulatory care sensitive conditions

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health Services Research
• Public Health Policy
• Healthcare Access Studies

Background:

• Ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) represent hospitalizations preventable by timely primary care.
• Assessing health service accessibility and care pathways is crucial for understanding healthcare system performance.
• Previous research indicates disparities in healthcare access, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze health service accessibility and care pathways for children hospitalized with ACSCs.
• To evaluate the utilization of primary health services among families of hospitalized children.
• To identify potential weaknesses in the local healthcare network.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of pediatric hospitalizations in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil.
• Utilized the Primary Care Assessment Tool Child Edition (PCAT-CE) to assess service accessibility.
• Conducted carer interviews to map care pathways leading to hospitalization.

Main Results:

• 28.9% of pediatric hospitalizations were for ACSCs.
• Low health service accessibility and utilization scores were observed in both ACSC and non-ACSC groups.
• 63.3% of families with children hospitalized for ACSCs did not utilize primary health services.

Conclusions:

• Poor health service accessibility was prevalent, irrespective of the hospitalization reason.
• Irregular care pathways and underutilization of primary care suggest a fragile healthcare network for pediatric ACSCs.
• Interventions are needed to improve primary care access and integration within the healthcare system.