The epidemiology of pediatric visits to New Jersey general emergency departments.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the epidemiology of pediatric visits to the emergency departments (EDs) of 10 general hospitals by age and gender.


METHODS
Review of ICD-9 codes from the billing database of a practice of emergency physicians.


METHODS
Ten hospitals in north/central New Jersey.


METHODS
All children <18 years treated by group physicians in EDs of study hospitals.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Diagnoses and visits.


RESULTS
There were 319,430 diagnoses recorded for 241,839 children (18.9% of the 1,277,233 total visits by all ages). The number of visits was highest in the <2 and >14 years age groups, with males predominating in all age groups. The number of visits from trauma increased with age. Otitis accounted for over 3% of all ED visits in this sample, over 7000 visits.


CONCLUSIONS
Children account for a significant portion of ED visits in general hospitals. EDs need to be equipped and staffed to handle this clientele.
Zimmerman
D R
DR
Department of Pediatrics, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
Allegra
J R
JR
Cody
R P
RP
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000453:epidemiology; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology