Assignment of follow-up appointments from an emergency room by pediatric residents

A total of 2,028 visits to the pediatric emergency room (ER) in a teaching institution made by children enrolled in the institution's primary care clinic were analyzed to determine how residents assigned follow-up (FU) visits. Of the ER visits, 841 (41.5%) resulted in an FU appointment. Problems such as acute asthma, pneumonia, and otitis media, for which FU is usually advised by pediatric textbooks and by the faculty of our institution, did not automatically result in appointments for FU. Those illnesses for which FU may not have been indicated were appointed. Focused teaching about the FU management of problems for which care is provided in an ER is needed.