Epidemiological trends of pediatric emergency referrals in Israel.

BACKGROUND

In the last decade pediatric emergency medicine in Israel advanced to a stage of independent emergency pediatric departments. At the same time, injuries and childhood, trauma--a global health problem--became the main cause of mortality and emergency referrals in children over the age of one year.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the extent of pediatric referrals to emergency departments and the rate of pediatric trauma referrals in Israel.

METHODS

The records from EDs of Israel's 24 public hospitals for a 6 year period (1994-99) were collected. The records based on computerized ED records were used to identify the basic demographics of pediatric ED referrals. Routine data for all pediatric patients were collected from pediatric and general EDs. This study is an analysis of the accumulated anonymous ED databases.

RESULTS

Pediatric referrals to EDs accounted for 2,907,912 patients, 37% of them due to trauma. The mean hospitalization rate was 21%. No significant changes were observed during the 6 years in the rate of pediatric ED referrals and in the ED hospitalization rate of children. There is a constant trend of increase in trauma referrals of children.

CONCLUSIONS

The ED is a major site for the delivery of healthcare to children in Israel. One of every four children in the community is referred every year to an ED, and more than one-third of those referrals are due to trauma.