Accident and emergency services for children within Trent region

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Service Delivery
• Quality Improvement in Healthcare

Background:

• Accident and Emergency (A&E) services are crucial for pediatric care.
• Published recommendations exist for optimal A&E services for children.
• The Trent region's A&E services for children require evaluation against these standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current provision of A&E services for children in the Trent region.
• To compare these services against established national recommendations.
• To identify specific areas where services fall short of recommended standards.

Main Methods:

• A postal questionnaire survey was distributed to all A&E and minor injury units in the Trent region serving children.
• Data collected were compared with recommendations from the Multidisciplinary Working Party into Accident and Emergency Services for Children.
• Analysis focused on key service provision aspects like patient separation, inpatient facilities, and staffing.

Main Results:

• Thirty-six units provided pediatric A&E services: 17 mixed, 17 minor injury, and 2 children's units.
• In mixed A&E units, only 35% offered audio-visual separation from adults.
• Inpatient pediatric facilities were available in 65% of mixed units, and 18% had a registered children's nurse on duty.

Conclusions:

• Most A&E units in the Trent region do not currently meet the Multidisciplinary Working Party's recommendations for pediatric care.
• The most significant deficiency identified was the insufficient provision of registered children's nurses.
• Improvements are needed to align A&E services for children with best practice guidelines.