Hospitalization due of infectious diarrhea in Rio de Janeiro State

Diarrhea is an important cause of hospitalization among infants. There are many complex factors that influence hospital use: socioeconomic and cultural characteristics, access, medical needs, and supply. The objective was to measure hospitalization rates from diarrhea among infants in Rio de Janeiro in 1996 and the association with demographic, geographical, and clinical data comparing differentials between public/university and private/philanthropic hospital care under the Unified National Health System (SUS). The authors used data from the Hospital Information System. Private/philanthropic hospitals admitted approximately four times more children than public/university hospitals. Analysis shows that variation in age, length of hospital stay, and use of pediatric intensive care may reflect differences in physicians' practice styles. This may in turn influence the respective health care unit's capacity to prevent death associated with diarrhea. The authors conclude that it is necessary to continue the analysis of hospital utilization under the SUS due to implications for the cost and quality of pediatric care.