Drivers for low-acuity pediatric emergency department visits in two tertiary hospitals in Switzerland: a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Low-acuity pediatric emergency department (PED) visits are frequent in high-income countries and have a negative impact on patient care at the individual and health system levels. Knowing what drives low-acuity PED visits is crucial to inform adaptations in health care delivery. We aimed to identify factors associated with low-acuity PED visits in Switzerland, including socioeconomic status, demographic features, and medical resources of families.

Methods

We conducted a prospective, questionnaire-based study in the PEDs of two Swiss tertiary care hospitals, Bern and Lausanne. We invited all consecutive children and their caregiver attending the PED during data collection times representative of the overall PED consultation structure (e.g. day/night, weekdays/weekends

SUBMITTER: Jaboyedoff M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10797974 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature