Return Visits to a Pediatric Emergency Department

Abstract

Similarities between our pediatric ED RV rate and other published research implies that benchmarking and quality improvement tools for RV can be used and compared in both pediatric and general EDs. Focusing on systems to call patients back to the ED when necessary may be an efficient way to reduce medical error and adverse patient outcomes.

Pediatric observation status: Are we overlooking a growing population in children's hospitals?

“…24 Similar to prior studies, 4,15,[25][26][27][28][29][30] our results also indicate that return visits and readmissions following observation are uncommon events. Our findings can serve as initial benchmarks for condition-specific outcomes for pediatric observation care.…”

Unplanned reattendances at the paediatric emergency department within 72 hours: a one-year experience in KKH

“…Patients returning to the ED within 72 hours of their initial presentation may contribute to overcrowding, (1)(2)(3)(4) which can lead to delayed treatment, patient dissatisfaction, straining of ED resources and increased healthcare costs. (1,2,5,6) Reattendances may be due to illness progression (3,7,8) or parental preference for ED care, (5) but may also reflect failure to appropriately diagnose, treat and communicate follow-up advice at the first visit. (2,3,(7)(8)(9) In the paediatric population, parental concern or anxiety may play a significant role.…”

“…(1,2,5,6) Reattendances may be due to illness progression (3,7,8) or parental preference for ED care, (5) but may also reflect failure to appropriately diagnose, treat and communicate follow-up advice at the first visit. (2,3,(7)(8)(9) In the paediatric population, parental concern or anxiety may play a significant role. (3,7,10) Higher reattendance rates may, therefore, indicate suboptimal clinical care or failure to address parental concerns at the first visit.…”

Consultas ambulatorias pediátricas atendidas en el Servicio de Urgencia de un hospital universitario

“…Los principales factores de riesgo de hospitalización fueron el período de RN y las consultas por ictericia, síntomas neurológicos e intoxicaciones. Finalmente, la tasa de consultas repetidas fue similar a lo comunicado en otros estudios (3,9% vs 2,7-5,2%) [24][25][26][27][28] ; lo cual puede ser explicado por el perfil sociodemográfico y clínico de los pacientes que consultan en nuestro SU, donde los médicos pediatras citan a control a los pacientes en el SU como alternativa a la hospitalización o a su derivación a los servicios de atención primaria.…”