Relations between the primary care and hospitalizations due to sensitive conditions in a university hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relations between the presence and orientation of the Primary Health Care and hospitalizations due to sensitive conditions to primary care in a university hospital.

METHOD: This is a sectional study with a sample of 197 subjects hospitalized from March to June 2016 in the medical clinic of a university hospital in Juiz de Fora. The assessment, conducted through interviews, used the Primary Health Care Assessment Tool, reduced version for adults, and the Brazilian list of sensitive conditions, edited by the Ministry of Health.

RESULTS: The regular frequency of the Primary Care was associated with hospitalizations (OR:2,06), especially related to the low performance of the access attributes (OR:5,3) and the comprehensives (OR:4,7).

CONCLUSION: The low orientation of the Primary Care attributes suggests that only the coverage at this level may not be sufficient to reduce these hospitalizations, but the way it is organized and effective at the community level.