• Ethan Reiner, Ardalan Ahmadi, Eric Grafstein, and Quynh Doan.
• Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of British Columbia.
• Pediatr Emerg Care. 2019 Mar 1; 35 (3): 185-189.

ObjectivesExisting pediatric literature describing repeat visits to the emergency department (ED) for the same medical complaint has yet to report on patient flow patterns from general EDs (GEDs) to a pediatric ED (PED). We sought to characterize the population of patients who are treated in a GED and subsequently present to a PED for further care.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study reviewing all pediatric visits (age < 17 y) at 5 GEDs in Vancouver. Our primary outcome measure was the proportion of visits with a subsequent visit to a PED (<7 days) during the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year. Secondary outcomes included reasons for PED consultation, the clinical services accessed, and disposition at the PED.ResultsDuring the study period, 581 (3.3%) of the 17,824 children seen at GEDs subsequently presented to the PED within 7 days. The top 3 diagnoses among these were fracture, viral infection, and musculoskeletal complaints. Of the 581 children with a visit to the PED, 180 (31.0%) were referred to the PED for a consultation, whereas the rest were family initiated. Referred visits were more frequently associated with pediatric subspecialist consultation than family-initiated visits (45.0% vs 19.5%, P < 0.01). The referred group more frequently resulted in a surgical procedure (13.9% vs 2.5%, P < 0.01) or hospital admission (51.7% vs 8.7%, P < 0.01).ConclusionsKnowing the proportion, management, and outcomes of children who are treated in a GED and subsequently at a PED may provide an important quality measure and opportunities to improve the management of common pediatric emergencies in the community.

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