Ambulatory paediatrics: does it work?

To determine whether a paediatric ambulatory assessment service is an effective and acceptable replacement for an inpatient unit. Analysis of hospital paediatric medical admissions. Postal questionnaire survey of local general practitioners. Telephone survey of parents of children who had attended the ambulatory service. Rural General Hospital in Northern Ireland. General practitioners. Parents of children referred to assessment service. Number of paediatric medical hospital admissions from the local area before and after the introduction of an ambulatory assessment service. General practitioner satisfaction levels. Parental satisfaction levels. Since the introduction of the new service in April 1996 there has been a marked progressive reduction in paediatric medical hospital admissions from the local area. By the third year of operation of the ambulatory service (1998/99), a 47% reduction in admissions was recorded, compared to the 1995/96 baseline year. The response rate to the general practitioner questionnaire was 65% (37 of 57) of whom most (31, 84%) found the service beneficial. Of the 37 respondents, 31 had referred patients to the service. The majority of these general practitioners (30, 97%) reported that the service was easy to access, and the same proportion felt that requests for consultation were met promptly. Most felt that feedback was appropriate (29, 94%). A telephone survey of 50 parents showed that most were either very satisfied (38, 76%), or satisfied (11, 22%) with the service. Most parents (41, 82%) felt their child had benefited by not being admitted to hospital. Most (46, 92%) felt they had received adequate information regarding their child's illness. A paediatric ambulatory assessment unit can reduce the number of children admitted to hospital and meet the needs of children, their families and general practitioners.