Perfil epidemiológico dos encaminhamentos para a cirurgia geral de um hospital do município de Laranjeiras do Sul – PR

Introduction: The Unified Health System ensures referrals for general surgery when necessary. Accordingly, prioritization of care is based on the severity of the disease. Objective: To evaluate the clinical-epidemiological profile of referrals for general surgery at a hospital in the municipality of Laranjeiras do Sul-PR. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive, and individualized study conducted through the analysis of medical records. It examines variables related to sex, age group, municipality of origin, reason for referral, diagnostic examination, and waiting time until the procedure is performed. The aim is to recognize these profiles, compare them with Brazilian data, and assess whether the waiting times align with recommendations in the literature. Results: The predominant gender in the study was male, accounting for 52% of the cases. Regarding age, 72.5% were adults. Concerning the municipality of origin, 51.5% were from Laranjeiras do Sul. The most commonly used diagnostic tool was ultrasonography. The most frequently performed surgical procedure in the study was hernioplasty. Conclusion: The study showed that the epidemiological data regarding acute appendicitis differ from the available literature. Additionally, 1.5% of the cases did not use the recommended diagnostic test for the disease, and only 8.5% of the cases did not follow the recommended waiting time according to the protocols.