Discharge communication practices in pediatric emergency care: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The majority of children receiving care in the emergency department (ED) are discharged home, making discharge communication a key component of quality emergency care. Parents must have the knowledge and skills to effectively manage their child's ongoing care at home. Parental fatigue and stress, health literacy, and the fragmented nature of communication in the ED setting may contribute to suboptimal parent comprehension of discharge instructions and inappropriate ED return visits. The aim of this study was to examine how and why discharge communication works in a pediatric ED context and develop recommendations for practice, policy, and research.

Methods

We systematically reviewed the published and gray literature. We searched electronic databases CINAHL, Medlin

SUBMITTER: Curran JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6446263 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature