title: A reduction in emergency department use by children from a parent educational intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A substantial proportion of emergency department (ED) visits by children are for non-urgent care. The objective of this research is to determine whether a parent-focused educational intervention can reduce non-urgent ED visits.
  
  
  METHODS
  A regional hospital system (which includes a central hospital, four satellite hospitals, and two primary care clinics) provided monthly data retrospectively from January 2006 to October 2007 on ED visits by children. The same information was provided prospectively from November 2007 to April 2009. Starting in November 2007, a family medicine residency program affiliated with the same hospital network distributed a 6.7 grade reading level booklet on non-urgent care of children to the parents who brought their children to the outpatient clinic. The number of ED visits as a proportion of outpatient clinic visits at the residency program was calculated for each month and compared to historical and geographic trends.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Long-term changes were observed only among the intervention group. There was a substantial and statistically significant reduction in ED use for non-urgent care of children. There was also a proportional reduction in ED charges for this group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An educational intervention among parents can substantially reduce non-urgent ED visits for their children.
authors.affiliation: Innovative Health Care, Brenham, TX 77833, USA. sgyoffe@sbcglobal.net
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yoffe
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: Nemat M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Dadfar
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: McClellan
authors.forename: Tse-Yang
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D004522:Educational Status; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017145:Models, Educational; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013781:Texas; D013997:Time Factors