Introduction:

The walk-in appointment is an appointment scheduled on the same day, to solve situations of acute illness. Its’ inappropriate use is a recurrent problem that causes a failure to respond adequately to users. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a reformulation of activity in primary health care as it was necessary to limit face-to-face contact with patients.

Objectives:

Identifying the impact of COVID-19 on the walk-in appointment demand, as well as making a sociodemographic characterization of the users and a descriptive analysis of the most frequent motives for consultation.

Methods:

Descriptive observational study with an analytical component of the walk-in appointment on April/19, April/20, and April/21, in a family health unit, with sociodemographic characterization and identification of the motives for an appointment and their adequacy.

Results:

An average of 18 daily appointments were conducted in 2019, 19 in 2020, and 31 in 2021. There were no differences in the users’ sociodemographic characteristics between the analyzed periods, with a transversal predominance of females and a mean age between 45 and 52 years. Before the pandemic, general and musculoskeletal reasons prevailed. In 2020, the relative weight of respiratory complaints increased and in 2021 the pre-pandemic pattern was restored. The year was related to the adequacy of the reason (p<0.001), with inadequacy values of 47% in 2019, 19% in 2020, and 31% in 2021. The most frequent inadequate motives were the same - non-acute clinical complaints, delivery of exam results, and renewal/request of sick leaves - but with different relative weights (p<0.001).

Conclusion:

COVID-19 pandemic was associated with higher adequacy of motives for walk-in appointments, highlighting the importance of adequate patient education about the correct reasons for using the walk-in appointment, as well as to ensure adequate access to other appointment modalities, so as not to motivate the improper use of the walk-in appointment.

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