J Korean Med Sci.  2012 Oct;27(10):1222-1228. 10.3346/jkms.2012.27.10.1222.

Utilization of Emergency Department by Children in Korea

• Kwak YH
• Kim DK
• Jang HY

• KMID: 1778830
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2012.27.10.1222

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the nation-wide emergency department (ED) utilization pattern by children in Korea. Most referral hospital EDs provide their essential ED information to the National Emergency Medical Center through the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS). We analyzed the NEDIS data on pediatric visits (< 19 yr old) during three years, from June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2010. A total of 2,072,664 children visited 124 EDs during the study period, and this patient population comprised 31.2% of the total ED visits. Male patients with a mean age of 5.44 (+/- 5.40 SD) yr comprised 59.1% of the ED pediatric visits. Among all age groups, the 1-4-yr-old group was the largest (42.3%). The most common mode of arrival was non-emergency medical service (EMS) (90.7%), and only 4.2% of patients used EMS transport. Common chief complaints in infants were fever (37.4%), whereas many older children presented to the EDs with abdominal pain (15.4%). The ratio of disease versus injury as the cause of ED visits was 2.5:1. Most patients were discharged (81.2%), and 15.3% were admitted. In conclusion, the most common age group who are brought to EDs in Korea is 1 to 4 yr-old young children, and common chief complaints of the visiting children are age-dependent, such as fever in younger children and abdominal pain and headache in older children. We need more improved and organized emergency medicine service system for children in Korea.

Keyword

Child; Emergencies; Epidemiology

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain/diagnosis
Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Critical Illness
Demography
*Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Service, Hospital/*utilization
Female
Fever/diagnosis
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Length of Stay
Logistic Models
Male
Patient Admission
Republic of Korea
Wounds and Injuries/diagnosis

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The number and rate of admitted children by age who visited 124 EDs in Korea.

• 

  Fig. 2 The numbers and rate of admitted children by month who visited 124 EDs in Korea.

• 

  Fig. 3 The numbers and rate of critically ill children by age, who visited 124 EDs in Korea.

Reference

1. Nawar EW, Niska RW, Xu J. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2005 emergency department summary. Adv Data. 2007. (386):1–32.

2. Alpern ER, Stanley RM, Gorelick MH, Donaldson A, Knight S, Teach SJ, Singh T, Mahajan P, Goepp JG, Kuppermann N, et al. Epidemiology of pediatric emergency medicine research network: the PECARN Core Data Project. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2006. 22:689–699.

3. Li G, Lau JT, McCarthy ML, Schull MJ, Vermeulen M, Kelen GD. Emergency department utilization in the United States and Ontario, Canada. Acad Emerg Med. 2007. 14:582–584.

4. Acworth J, Babl F, Borland M, Ngo P, Krieser D, Schutz J, Pitt R, Cotterell E, Jamison S, Neutze J, et al. Patterns of presentation to the Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Emergency Research Network. Emerg Med Australas. 2009. 21:59–66.

5. Zimmer KP, Walker A, Minkovitz CS. Epidemiology of pediatric emergency department use at an urban medical center. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2005. 21:84–89.

6. Rehmani R, Norain A. Trends in emergency department utilization in a hospital in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med J. 2007. 28:236–240.

7. Tchah H, Yun DR. Utilization patterns of pediatric emergency room. J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1989. 32:897–914.

8. Yoo JW, Lee JH. Clinical analysis of pediatric patients who visited a general hospital emergency center. Korean J Pediatr. 2010. 53:314–322.

9. Jeon HJ, Kim SS, Bae HA, Yoo IY. Utilization status of emergency medical service for children. J Korean Acad Child Health Nurs. 2008. 14:5–13.

10. Christoffel KK. Effect of season and weather on pediatric emergency department use. Am J Emerg Med. 1985. 3:327–330.