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Parents' perspective on unplanned return visits to the pediatric emergency department: A cross-sectional study
Fatma Dinç1, Aylin Kurt1, Dilek Yıldız2
1Bartın University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Bartın, Turkey.
Insights
Parents cited child health deterioration and need for further tests as primary reasons for unplanned pediatric emergency department return visits. Improving discharge training and incorporating parental feedback can reduce these repeat visits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Patient Experience
Background:
- Investigates factors contributing to repeat pediatric emergency department (PED) visits within 72 hours.
- Examines parental wishes and experiences with emergency nurses.
- Focuses on the parents' perspective regarding unplanned return visits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key reasons for unplanned return visits to the PED.
- To understand parental expectations during initial PED visits.
- To inform strategies for reducing repeat PED visits.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study conducted over one year (April 2023-2024).
- Involved 596 parents of children (0-18 years) with return visits to a PED in Türkiye.
- Data collected via the Descriptive Characteristics of Children and Experiences of Parents Information Form.
Main Results:
- Parent-reported reasons for return visits: child's health deterioration (24.1%), need for further tests (23.8%), new health condition (18.7%).
- Parental wishes during the first visit: presence with child (24.2%), physical contact during procedures (20.5%), updated information (20.2%).
Conclusions:
- Effective discharge training in PEDs can decrease unplanned return visits.
- Incorporating parental perspectives can enhance nursing practice and care quality.
- Addressing parental wishes may reduce the frequency of repeat PED visits.
Background:
The aim of this study was to investigate the factors leading to more than one time visit to the pediatric emergency department within 72 h, parental wishes and experiences with emergency nurses from the parents' perspective.
Material And Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted between April 15, 2023 and April 14, 2024 with 596 parents of children aged between 0 and 18 years who had return visits to the pediatric emergency department of a gynaecology and pediatrics hospital in the Western Black Sea Region of Türkiye within 72 h after the first visit. Following the acquisition of written informed consent from the parents, the data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics of Children and Experiences of Parents Information Form.
Results:
From the perspective of the parents, the most common reasons for an unplanned return visit to the pediatric emergency department were that the child's health had deteriorated (24.1%), the child required further tests (23.8%), and the child had developed a different health condition (18.7%). During the first visit to the pediatric emergency department, parents most frequently wished to be allowed to be with the child (24.2%), to touch the child during the procedures (20.5%), to receive up-to-date information about the child's condition (20.2%).
Conclusions:
In line with these results, it is thought that the frequency of unplanned return visits to pediatric emergency departments can be reduced by implementing adequate, accurate and effective planned discharge training in pediatric emergency departments. Pediatric emergency nurses can benefit from the perspectives of parents in their professional practices to improve the quality of care and reduce the number of unplanned return visits to the emergency department.
