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Non-urgent presentations to the paediatric emergency department: a literature review

Alessandra Pol1, Valentina Biagioli2, Luca Adriani1

  • 1paediatric emergency department, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome, Italy.

Emergency Nurse : the Journal of the RCN Accident and Emergency Nursing Association
|February 2, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Many children visit paediatric emergency departments (PEDs) for non-urgent issues. This review examines why parents choose PEDs over community care for these cases.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Healthcare Access
  • Systematic Review

Background:

  • A significant proportion of paediatric emergency department (PED) visits, estimated between 58% and 82%, are for non-urgent conditions.
  • This highlights a potential overuse of emergency services for ailments that could be managed in primary or community care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the literature and explore the reasons behind parental decisions to present children with non-urgent conditions to PEDs.
  • To understand the factors influencing the choice of PED over available community healthcare services.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic literature search was conducted across five databases.
  • Studies included focused on children and young people presenting to PEDs with non-urgent conditions, identified by low triage priority codes.
  • Findings from 18 selected studies were analyzed and discussed.

Main Results:

  • The review synthesizes findings from 18 studies investigating parental motivations for PED use in non-urgent pediatric cases.
  • Identified reasons for choosing PEDs over community services are detailed and analyzed within the article.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the drivers for non-urgent PED presentations is crucial for optimizing healthcare resource allocation.
  • This review provides insights into parental decision-making processes, informing strategies to redirect non-urgent pediatric care to appropriate community settings.

Keywords:
child healthcommunitycommunity careemergency careemergency serviceshealth literacyparentspatient educationpatientsprimary careprofessionaltriage

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