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Published on: April 7, 2023
A 10-year population-based nationwide descriptive analysis of pediatric emergency care
Mei-Jy Jeng1, Yu-Sheng Lee, Pei-Chen Tsao
1Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. mjjeng@vghtpe.gov.tw.
Insights
Taiwanese children, primarily aged 0-5, represent 25% of emergency care visits. Respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses are common, necessitating age-specific preventive strategies for pediatric emergency medicine.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Pediatric emergency care is a critical component of healthcare systems.
- This study examines a decade of pediatric emergency care trends in Taiwan.
- Focuses on children aged 0-17 years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the patterns and characteristics of pediatric emergency care utilization in Taiwan over a 10-year period (2000-2009).
- To identify common diagnoses, age-specific trends, and hospitalization rates among children seeking emergency care.
Main Methods:
- Utilized systematic random samples from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2000-2009).
- Enrolled children (0-17 years) who received emergency care.
- Analyzed frequency of visits, age distribution, costs, seasonality, hospitalizations, and diagnoses.
Main Results:
- 764,598 children comprised 25% of all emergency cases, with a mean age of 6.1 years.
- The 0-5 year age group was largest (57.5% male); incidence was 29,133 ± 3,104 per 100,000 child-years.
- Common diagnoses included upper airway infection, fever, and gastrointestinal illness; 4.51% required hospitalization for conditions like electrolyte disorders and infections. Adolescent groups (12-17 years) presented with trauma and childbirth-related issues.
Conclusions:
- Children constitute a significant portion (25%) of emergency department visits in Taiwan, predominantly younger than 5 years.
- Disease patterns and costs differ across pediatric age groups.
- Targeted preventive measures focusing on respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, tailored to specific age demographics, are recommended to enhance child health outcomes.
Background:
Pediatric emergency care medicine is an important field of health care. This study aimed to investigate the 10-year pediatric emergency care in children aged 0-17 years old in Taiwan.
Methods:
Systematic random samples from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan in the period 2000-2009 were analyzed. Children recorded as undergoing emergency care were enrolled and divided into different age groups. The frequency of emergency visits, age, cost per visit, seasonality, number of hospitalizations, and diagnosis were analyzed.
Results:
A total of 764,598 children were enrolled. These children accounted for 25% of all emergency cases and their mean age was 6.1 years. Children aged 0-5 years formed the largest group, with male predominance (57.5%). The incidence of emergency visits was 29133 ± 3104 per 100,000 children per year (mean ± SD). Acute upper airway infection, fever, and acute gastrointestinal illness were the most common diagnoses among all non-hospitalized children. Some (4.51%) required subsequent hospitalization and their most common diagnoses were fluid/electrolyte disorder, upper/lower airway infection, and acute gastrointestinal illness. The group of children aged 12-17 years had cases of traumatic injury and childbirth.
Conclusions:
In Taiwan, 25% of individuals seeking emergency care are children, mostly aged 0-5 years old. Costs and disease patterns vary among different age groups. Preventive measures targeting all children should focus on respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, but should target different diseases for different age groups to improve child health.
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