Influence of awareness and availability of medical alternatives on parents seeking paediatric emergency care
(2018) In Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 46(4). p.456-462- Abstract
Aims: Direct seeking of care at paediatric emergency departments may result from an inadequate awareness or a short supply of medical alternatives. We therefore evaluated the care-seeking patterns, availability of medical options and initial medical assessments – with overall reference to socioeconomic status – of parents at an urban paediatric emergency department in a Scandinavian country providing free paediatric healthcare. Methods: The parents of children assessed by paediatric emergency department physicians at a Swedish university hospital over a 25-day winter period completed a questionnaire on recent medical contacts and their reasons for attendance. Additional information was obtained from ledgers, patient records and... (More)
Aims: Direct seeking of care at paediatric emergency departments may result from an inadequate awareness or a short supply of medical alternatives. We therefore evaluated the care-seeking patterns, availability of medical options and initial medical assessments – with overall reference to socioeconomic status – of parents at an urban paediatric emergency department in a Scandinavian country providing free paediatric healthcare. Methods: The parents of children assessed by paediatric emergency department physicians at a Swedish university hospital over a 25-day winter period completed a questionnaire on recent medical contacts and their reasons for attendance. Additional information was obtained from ledgers, patient records and population demographics. Results: In total, 657 of 713 eligible patients (92%) were included. Seventy-nine per cent of their parents either failed to or managed to establish medical contact before the emergency department visit, whereas 21% sought care with no attempt at recent medical contact. Visits with a failed telephone or primary care contact (18%) were more common outside office hours (p=0.014) and were scored as less urgent (p=0.014). A perceived emergency was the main reason for no attempt at medical contact before the visit. Direct emergency department care-seeking was more common from the city district with the lowest socioeconomic status (p=0.027). Conclusions: Although most parents in this Swedish study tried to seek medical advice before attending a paediatric emergency department, perceived emergency, a short supply of telephone health line or primary care facilities and lower socioeconomic status contributed to direct care-seeking by almost 40% of parents. Pre-hospital awareness and the availability of medical alternatives with an emphasis on major differences in socioeconomic status should therefore be considered to further optimize care-seeking in paediatric emergency departments.
(Less)
- author
- Ellbrant, Julia A. LU ; Åkeson, S. Jonas LU and Karlsland Åkeson, Pia M. LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2018-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Children, emergency department, paediatrics, primary care, seeking behaviour, socioeconomic status, telephone health line, urgency
- in
- Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
- volume
- 46
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 456 - 462
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:29017396
- scopus:85042077611
- ISSN
- 1403-4948
- DOI
- 10.1177/1403494817735222
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 24f8900a-4941-4c2a-bea1-056862f9d932
- date added to LUP
- 2018-03-09 12:53:47
- date last changed
- 2024-04-01 02:30:09
@article{24f8900a-4941-4c2a-bea1-056862f9d932,
abstract = {{<p>Aims: Direct seeking of care at paediatric emergency departments may result from an inadequate awareness or a short supply of medical alternatives. We therefore evaluated the care-seeking patterns, availability of medical options and initial medical assessments – with overall reference to socioeconomic status – of parents at an urban paediatric emergency department in a Scandinavian country providing free paediatric healthcare. Methods: The parents of children assessed by paediatric emergency department physicians at a Swedish university hospital over a 25-day winter period completed a questionnaire on recent medical contacts and their reasons for attendance. Additional information was obtained from ledgers, patient records and population demographics. Results: In total, 657 of 713 eligible patients (92%) were included. Seventy-nine per cent of their parents either failed to or managed to establish medical contact before the emergency department visit, whereas 21% sought care with no attempt at recent medical contact. Visits with a failed telephone or primary care contact (18%) were more common outside office hours (p=0.014) and were scored as less urgent (p=0.014). A perceived emergency was the main reason for no attempt at medical contact before the visit. Direct emergency department care-seeking was more common from the city district with the lowest socioeconomic status (p=0.027). Conclusions: Although most parents in this Swedish study tried to seek medical advice before attending a paediatric emergency department, perceived emergency, a short supply of telephone health line or primary care facilities and lower socioeconomic status contributed to direct care-seeking by almost 40% of parents. Pre-hospital awareness and the availability of medical alternatives with an emphasis on major differences in socioeconomic status should therefore be considered to further optimize care-seeking in paediatric emergency departments.</p>}},
author = {{Ellbrant, Julia A. and Åkeson, S. Jonas and Karlsland Åkeson, Pia M.}},
issn = {{1403-4948}},
keywords = {{Children; emergency department; paediatrics; primary care; seeking behaviour; socioeconomic status; telephone health line; urgency}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{456--462}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{Scandinavian Journal of Public Health}},
title = {{Influence of awareness and availability of medical alternatives on parents seeking paediatric emergency care}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1403494817735222}},
doi = {{10.1177/1403494817735222}},
volume = {{46}},
year = {{2018}},
}