Retrospective Evaluation of Return Visits to the Paediatric Emergency Department

Abstract

Aim:This study aimed to establish regional data using the results obtained via determination of clinical and demographic characteristics of patients who revisited the paediatric emergency department of a university hospital within 5 days.Materials and Methods:Patients who revisited the paediatric emergency department within the first 5 days were included. Patient age and sex, complaints at admission, admission sessions and timeframes and whether the patients were admitted during or outside of working hours were recorded.Results:The emergency department was revisited by 654 (1.32%) patients. When patient distribution by age group was examined, 415 patients were found to be aged <5 years. When patient distribution based on working hours was examined, 302 patients were found to be admitted outside of working hours and on holidays, whereas 291 patients were usually admitted during the evenings.Conclusion:Clinicians informing parents at the first visit of the details about their child’s disease, the disease course and when to revisit the hospital after discharge may be an effective way to not only prevent unnecessary return visits but also alleviate the anxiety of parents and reduce medical errors and negative patient outcomes.

Keywords

• return visit
• emergency department
• children