[Family socioeconomic deprivation and vulnerability in the pediatric emergency room: evaluation and management].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of socioeconomic deprivation and other forms of vulnerability in families attending the pediatric emergency unit (PEU). It was based on a five-level classification of family types and an analysis of responses provided by the French healthcare system.


METHODS
The prospective study involved 150 families admitted to the PEU on the basis of open-response interviews that analyzed demographic and socio-economic characteristics, motivations for consultation, the child's quality of life, family problems experienced by the parents, and their support network.


RESULTS
Five categories of families were defined as follows: complete destitution necessitating immediate social measures (0.7%); acknowledged and well-managed economic deprivation (13.3%), unacknowledged and/or complex economic deprivation with a significant deterioration in the quality of life (22.2%), familial psychological vulnerability without economic deprivation (30.4%), and families without any apparent problems (33.7%). Consultation at the PEU appears to be a multifactorial phenomenon motivated by socioeconomic, psychological and cultural factors. This phenomenon is connected with the present-day imbalance in the healthcare system, which does not adequately respond to the needs of vulnerable families.


CONCLUSIONS
This survey contributes to the current reflection on the integration of psychosocial factors in child healthcare at both the hospital and local community level. The method described herein has determined the factors of vulnerability and the risks of economic deprivation. It can contribute to the development of improved communication and cooperation between practitioners, the hospital and local social workers.
Service de pédiatrie III, hôpital Arnaud-de-Villeneuve, centre hospitalier universitaire de Montpellier, 371, avenue Doyen-Gaston-Giraud, 34059 Montpellier, France.
J
J
Nicolas
F
F
Bernard
C
C
Vergnes
F
F
Seguret
H
H
Zebiche
M
M
Rodière
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003467:Cultural Deprivation; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards*; D011203:Poverty / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires