COVID-19 pandemic: hospitalization use variation in the g100 municipalities

ABSTRACT This study aims to comparatively analyze the volume and flows for hospital admissions before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 112 g100 municipalities, which are characterized by having more than 80,000 inhabitants, low income, and high socioeconomic vulnerability. Data from the SUS Hospital Information System regarding hospitalizations of adults (age ≥ 18 years) in the period 2017-2020. Hospitalizations were classified according to type of admission or specialty of treatment in the following categories: elective, urgency/emergency, clinical, surgical, obstetric, and oncological treatment. Elective hospitalizations showed a greater reduction in volume in 2020 compared to the previous year, probably due to the measures adopted to minimize the risks of contagion and prioritization of care to severe patients by COVID-19. Considering the place of hospitalization, no significant changes were observed in relation to the referral of residents of g100 municipalities to other municipalities. However, there was differentiation between localities in which regionalization in health works in a more appropriate way, and others where there is a scarcity of resources or need for more effective planning and management.