Prospective tracking of a pediatric emergency department e-kiosk to deliver asthma education

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Health Informatics
• Patient Education

Background:

• Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children, often requiring emergency department visits.
• Effective patient education is crucial for managing asthma and improving health outcomes.
• Existing educational methods in emergency settings may be limited in engagement and personalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prospective use and effectiveness of an interactive Patient Education and Motivation Tool (PEMT) in a pediatric emergency department.
• To assess the impact of PEMT on asthma knowledge among children and their guardians.
• To analyze user interaction patterns and factors influencing knowledge acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, non-randomized pre-post study design involving 99 participants.
• Implementation of a touch screen-based PEMT delivering asthma education in a pediatric emergency department.
• Data collection on system usage, user characteristics, asthma knowledge, time spent on modules, and navigation patterns.

Main Results:

• The PEMT was effective in improving asthma knowledge in pediatric patients.
• Baseline asthma knowledge showed a positive association with age and a negative association with time spent in the learning module.
• Age was negatively associated with time spent in the learning module, suggesting younger children may need more time or different approaches.

Conclusions:

• The interactive PEMT is a valuable tool for enhancing asthma knowledge in pediatric emergency settings.
• The tool demonstrates potential for personalized asthma education, particularly for patients with lower baseline knowledge.
• Further research could explore optimizing PEMT for different age groups and improving engagement for younger children.