ObjectiveTo understand decision-making when bringing a child to an emergency department.DesignA cross-sectional survey of parents attending with children allocated a minor triage category.SettingEmergency department in South West England, serving 450,000 people per annum.ParticipantsAll English-speaking parents/caregivers whose children attended the emergency department and were triaged as minor injury/illness.Main outcome measuresParental and child characteristics, injury/illness characteristics, advice seeking behaviour, views regarding emergency department service improvement, GP access and determinants of emergency department use.ResultsIn sum, 373 responses were analysed. The majority of attendances were for minor injury, although illness was more common in <4 year olds. Most presentations were within 4 h of injury/illness and parents typically sought advice before attending. Younger parents reported feeling more stressed. Parents of younger children perceived the injury/illness to be more serious, reporting greater levels of worry, stress, helplessness and upset and less confidence. Parents educated to a higher level were more likely to administer first-aid/medication. Around 40% did not seek advice prior to attending and typically these were parents aged <24 and parents of <1 year olds. The main determinants of use were: advised by someone other than a GP; perceived urgency; perceived appropriateness. The need for reassurance also featured.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that it is difficult for parents to determine whether their child’s symptoms reflect minor conditions. Efforts should focus on building parental confidence and self-help and be directed at parents of younger children and younger parents. This is in addition to appropriate minor injury/illness assessment and treatment services.

Background Flooding can cause long-term, significant impacts on mental health in affected populations. We explored help-seeking behaviour of households affected by flooding. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on National Study of Flooding and Health data on households flooded in England in winter 2013/14. Participants (Year 1: n = 2006; Year 2: n = 988; Year 3: n = 819) were asked if they sought help from health services and other sources. Logistic regression was conducted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) of help-seeking in flooded and disrupted participants compared to unaffected, adjusted for a priori confounders. Results The odds of seeking help from any source 1 year after flooding were greater for flooded participants [adjusted OR (aOR): 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19–1.45] and those disrupted by flooding (aOR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.37–2.68) compared to unaffected participants. This continued in the second year (flooded: aOR 6.24, 95% CI: 3.18–13.34; disrupted: aOR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.14–4.68), and help-seeking remained greater in flooded than unaffected participants in the third year. Flooded and disrupted participants were particularly likely to seek help from informal sources. Help-seeking was more prevalent amongst participants with mental health outcomes, but a notable proportion of individuals with any mental health outcome did not seek help (Year 1: 15.0%; Year 2: 33.3%; Year 3: 40.3%). Conclusions Flooding is associated with increased demand for formal and informal support, persisting for at least 3 years, and an unmet need for help amongst affected individuals. Our findings should be considered in flood response planning to reduce the long-term adverse health impacts of flooding.