RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To quantify and describe the self-care practices for children up to 14 seeking care because of an acute pathology. DESIGN: An observation study carried out by means of a questionnaire administered to the person accompanying the patient. SETTING: Primary Care: an urban Health Centre. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: The total number of cases of acute pathology treated during April and May 1993 in the Centre's paediatric clinics. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 248 cases were studied (53% boys and 47% girls, with an average age of 5.3 +/- 3.85). Self-care (self-medication, 84.6%; non-pharmacological measures, 11.5%; both of these, 3.9%) was practised in 61.3% of cases (CI 95%: 55.2-67.4). The most common drugs were: antipyretics-analgesics (60%), antitussives (9.6%) and antibiotics (8.1%). Self-care was practised most often on patients presenting respiratory symptoms (69.6%) (p < 0.001), with self-medication predominant (91.2%) (p < 0.001). The number of days occurring between the appearance of symptoms and the medical consultation was greater among those who did not practise self-care (4.5 +/- 5.2 as against 2.1 +/- 1.8) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Self-care is a very common practice among people seeking paediatric treatment. Self-medication, especially for respiratory trouble, is the most common form. Patients who practise self-care tend to be earlier in seeking a medical consultation.
Asunto(s)
Autocuidado , Enfermedad Aguda , Adolescente , Distribución de Chi-Cuadrado , Niño , Centros Comunitarios de Salud , Intervalos de Confianza , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Autocuidado/estadística & datos numéricos , España , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Following the guidelines for preventive and health promoting activities in Primary Health Care presented by the S.E.M.F.Y.C., we developed a study to evaluate the adequacy of the parallel nurse clinic for their implementation. 209 individuals (94 males and 115 females, mean age 36,4 +/- 13 years) were included in the study. The results showed a remarkably high prevalence of risk factors in the study series and a good acceptance of the program by the users. The opportunistic screening by means of a referral to a nurse clinic was shown to be an adequate strategy for the development of the program, with a multimplicator effect on the whole of nursing activities to be evaluated at the time of planning their implementation rate.