Profile of Hospitalizations for Elderly People in the State of Amapá - Brazil, From April 2018 to April 2019

The World Health Organization (WHO) characterizes elderly people who are 60 years old or older in developing countries and 65 years old in developed countries. In Brazil, it is considered elderly from 60 years, based on the Elderly Statute and public policies related to aging (Santa Catarina, 2018). The objective of this study is to analyze the profile of hospitalizations of the elderly in the State of Amapá. Retrospective study with a quantitative approach on the profile of hospitalizations of elderly people in the State of Amapá, from April 2018 to April 2019, as a data source, DATASUS was used. The results show that in the period between April 2018 and April 2019, there were 4,453 hospitalizations in the state of Amapá for elderly people over 60 years of age, representing 10.60% of total hospitalizations. The main causes of hospitalizations are diseases of the circulatory system, with (24%), followed by 14% of diseases of the respiratory system. In addition to finding that 46.4% (2,067) of hospitalizations for pathologies and injuries are in the age range between 60 and 69 years. It concludes that the state of Amapá with its local health system needs to reorganize its hospital structures, with the insertion of indicators that favor actions to improve the quality of care. Evidencing primary care as a gateway for this population, in order to improve the quality of life of these people and reduce the burden on hospital institutions.