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Delivery of a multi-focus public health intervention in the paediatric emergency department: a feasibility and
Rachel Isba1,2, Rhiannon Edge3
1Lancaster Medical School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK rachel.isba@lancaster.ac.uk.
Insights
Delivering a brief public health intervention in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) is feasible and acceptable for children and young people (CYP). This pilot study highlights potential for future research focusing on vaccination and dental health.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Brief public health interventions are crucial for preventative care in children and young people (CYP).
- Paediatric emergency departments (PEDs) present a unique setting for delivering health interventions.
- Limited research exists on the feasibility and acceptability of such interventions in the PED setting for CYP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a brief public health intervention within a paediatric emergency department (PED).
- To gather preliminary data on health-related outcomes for children and young people (CYP) attending the PED.
- To inform the design of a larger-scale study on public health interventions in paediatric care.
Main Methods:
- A feasibility and acceptability pilot study utilizing quantitative and qualitative data collection.
- Recruitment of children and young people (CYP) and their parents/carers in a single PED over two weeks.
- Intervention involved a brief consultation with a Paediatric Public Health Medicine Consultant using Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) principles.
Main Results:
- Thirty CYP from 29 households were recruited.
- Sixty percent of CYP screened positive for issues, primarily related to household smoking and dental health.
- Data collection faced challenges with assessing frequent attendance and accurate vaccination status reporting.
Conclusions:
- Delivering brief public health interventions in paediatric emergency departments (PEDs) is feasible and acceptable to CYP, parents/carers, and staff.
- The pilot identified areas for improvement in data quality and access for future research.
- Future studies should concentrate on vaccination and dental health interventions within the PED setting.
Objective:
The objective was to see if it was feasible and acceptable to deliver a brief public health intervention as part of an attendance at the paediatric emergency department (PED).
Design:
A feasibility and acceptability pilot design was used as there is no previous work done in this clinical area, population or using this approach in children and young people (CYP). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Follow-up was at 1 week and 1, 3 and 6 months.
Setting:
This pilot took place in a single PED in Greater Manchester, England.
Participants:
Participants were CYP (under 16 years old) and their parents/carers, attending the PED during a 2-week recruitment period in September 2019.
Interventions:
The intervention was a brief conversation with a Consultant in Paediatric Public Health Medicine, using Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment. The intervention focused on vaccination, dental health, household smoking and frequent attendance.
Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures:
The primary outcome measure was information to support the effective development of a larger-scale study. Secondary outcomes were measures of health, again intended to provide additional information prior to a larger study.
Results:
Thirty CYP were recruited from 29 households. Sixty per cent of CYP triggered at least one screening question, most commonly household smoking and dental health. It was not possible to accurately assess frequent attendance and 97% of parents/carers stated that they thought their child or young person was fully vaccinated for their age, which is likely to be an over-estimate.
Conclusions:
It is feasible to deliver a brief public health intervention in the PED and such an approach is acceptable to a variety of stakeholders including CYP, parents/carers and nursing staff. The pilot revealed issues around data quality and access. Future work will focus on vaccination and dental health.
