Nonemergent emergency room utilization for an inner-city pediatric population.
OBJECTIVE
To identify patient reasons for accessing an urban Pediatric Emergency Room (PER) for primary care and to explore attitudes and practice regarding alternative sources for their medical home.


METHODS
A total of 210 questionnaires, consisting of 24 questions each, were completed in a face-to-face interview performed by trained interviewers. Questions asked included sources of medical care, frequency of use, and factors that went into caregiver decisions for using different sources of care.


RESULTS
Caregivers choose the PER because of the short amount of time it takes for their child to be seen and discharged by a physician. Nearly 60% ranked wait time to see a doctor more important than seeing the same doctor every time (37.6%). About one-third of caregivers routinely brought their children to the PER for illness that is not serious. Only 77% of caregivers claimed that their children have a regular doctor. Many caregivers cited that they are seen more by their regular doctor for shots (well visits) than for ill visits and are seen in the PER for illness. In this study, 56% of children did not see the same regular doctor as their siblings.


CONCLUSIONS
Efficiency and speed of health care delivery is of prime importance to this primarily Medicaid urban population. If strategies are to be implemented to attract these patients to a medical home that will strengthen their ties to their regular doctor, then the needs prioritized by the caregiver must be taken into consideration.
Moon
Troy D
TD
Department of Pediatrics, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. tmoon@tulane.edu
Laurens
Matthew B
MB
Weimer
Stephen M
SM
Levy
Jerussa A
JA
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014850:Waiting Lists