Objective

The aim of this study was investígate the reasons for the demand for these services by users rated on two non-urgent emergency care units of a medium-sized municipality of São Paulo.

Methodology

Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 756 individuals who sought the services of emergency care units and, of these, 417 (55%) users were classified as non-urgent risk and were eligible for the study.

Results

It was observed six major categories of motives among that seeking care in emergency care units: lack of infrastructure of the nearest health unit; perception of pain and symptoms of emergency; home/work proximity; takes care of scheduling and primary health care; quality of care in the emergency care units; habit of attending services. These categories were grouped into four themes concerning: a) perception of urgency; b) convenience; c) difficulty of access and d) quality of service.

Conclusion

It was concluded from these findings the need to strengthen primary care system in order to ensure facilitated access for users and better resolution of cases that can be seen treated in this level, in conjunction with the entire network of health care.