ANALYSIS ON THE LENGTH OF HOSPITALIZATION OF CHILDREN WITH PNEUMONIA ADMITTED TO A PUBLIC HOSPITAL IN JOÃO PESSOA, PB

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the length of hospitalization of children aged 0 to 5 years with pneumonia admitted to a referral hospital in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. MATERIAL and Methods: This was a documentary, analytical, retrospective study, from the database of a public pediatric hospital in João Pessoa in the period 2007-2009, which contained information on 683 children. Results: We observed that 59.6% of children were male; 70.6% were 0-2 years old; 61.9% were from the city of João Pessoa; the average length of hospital stay was 9 to 7.52 days and the children from other cities stayed longer in the hospital (p< 0.01). Conclusion: There was a significant difference in the length of stay with regard to origin, where children who lived outside the city of João Pessoa stayed longer in the hospital. DESCRIPTORS Pneumonia. Hospitalization Time. Child.