Patient passports aim to speed appropriate care for medically complex children presenting to ED.
Mattel Children's Hospital at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, has developed a "patient passport" to improve the timely and appropriate care of medically complex children who present to the ED. The one-page form, which parents can keep in their wallets, highlights any special indications or sensitivities that the child has as well as contact information for the patient's primary care provider. The form also includes special instructions for the triage nurse. Creation of the tool was prompted by the parents who complained that their medically complex children were receiving different care in the ED than on the pediatric floor of the hospital. The tool was developed by a group comprised of parents, pediatric providers, and ED representatives. Physicians must create and sign the passports, either in the hospital or in their outpatient clinics, although parents may request a passport for their children.
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D004282:Documentation; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D013997:Time Factors