Objective: To know about the preference for the evening hours in the primary care pediatric consults.
Design: A crossover, observational and prospective study.
Setting: Pediatric consult at a health center in the town of Irún, Bidasoa District (Guipúzcoa).
Participants: The mothers or companions (171) of the coming children.
Measurements and main results: It was asked to the mothers coming to the consult about their preferences for the hour. The children were divided into three groups: younger than 3 years, 3 to 5 and older than 5. Then, it was taken into account the demand of each group. Projecting the results of the poll on the demand, the children older than 3 prefer the evening hour and between the younger (who represent nearly the half of the pediatric consults), the 50% prefer the morning, and the other half, the evening. There are not significant differences comparing the children from 3 to 5 years to the older than 5. There are significant differences, instead, between the children younger than 3 and any of the two groups of children older than 3: with the group from 3 to 5 (p < 0,01), with the older than 5 (p < 0,05) and with the older than 3 as whole (p < 0,01).
Conclusions: If it would be wanted to adapt the hour to their preferences, it would be necessary to making enable the morning hour for the children younger than 3, and the evening consults for the older.