Early unplanned return visits to a pediatric emergency department in Israel.

BACKGROUND

Early unplanned return visits (EURV) to the emergency department (ED) are stressful for children and caregivers. Dissatisfaction with the first ED visit could influence the decision to revisit the ED. The aim was to evaluate comprehensively parents' satisfaction with the first ED visit.

METHODS

A prospective questionnaire-based study of parents of EURV patients was conducted in a pediatric ED. Participants were enrolled based on convenience sampling. The study instrument was the parental satisfaction questionnaire (PSQ). The 27 PSQ items evaluate four themes related to satisfaction: attitude and respect, information provided, continuity of care, and waiting times. Items are rated on a five-point Likert scale.

RESULTS

During the 18-month study, 101 parents of EURV patients were surveyed and 98 agreed to participate. On the return visit, 63 EURV patients were discharged and 35 EURV patients were hospitalized. Eighty-seven (88.7%) caregivers scored an overall level of satisfaction with the first visit of 8-10 on a 10-point Likert scale. Median scores in 22 PSQ items were 4 (interquartile range [IQR] 4-5) or 4 (IQR 3-4). Median scores for "physicians attention and answering questions and concern" and "physicians clear and understood explanations" were 3 (IQR 3-4) and 2 (IQR 2-3), respectively. The PSQ scores were similar for patients who were discharged on the return visit and patients who were hospitalized.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents were satisfied with the care provided at the first ED visit. There was a lower level of satisfaction with physician interaction.