Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Time line map of interventions, with associated change in pediatric emergency department (ED) visit volume. Postintervention data show a decrease in total ED visits below that of preintervention at approximately the same time interventions started.
- Figure 2.
Emergency department (ED) visit acuity before and after interventions. Low acuity level 3 (urgent) saw a statistically significant decrease from 2015 to 2016 and maintained the decrease into 2017. Level 4 (less urgent) saw a decrease that continued in 2017 but was not statistically significant. Emergent (level 2) visits were unchanged throughout. Emergency Severity Index Scale used for acuity scoring (1, immediate; 2, emergent; 3, urgent; 4, less urgent; 5, not urgent) designated level 3 to 5 as low acuity.
- Figure 3.
Pediatric emergency department (ED) visits from the year before interventions and after interventions. Pediatric walk-in clinic use is also depicted here with the blue line. The ED use numbers were lower than the year prior for every month since starting our changes, while the walk-in clinic use continues to increase.
- Figure 4.
Shifts in patients seen in the emergency department (ED) versus the clinic before interventions (2015) and after interventions (2017). Upper respiratory infections went from 47.5% seen in the clinic to 78.2% in 2017. This was statistically significant (P < .0001). Both fever and otitis media showed similar changes, but the small sample size made them not statistically significant (fever, P = .078).
Tables
- Table 1.
Questionnaire with Responses for High-Use Emergency Department Pediatric Patients
Question n (%); Response Total Responses 1. Were you discharged home from the emergency room? 25 (100); Yes 25 2. Were you aware of the Coastal Family Medicine on-call line? 5 (20); Yes 25 3. If yes, did you call the Coastal Family Medicine on-call line? 1 (4); Yes 25 4. If during business hours, did you attempt to call the clinic for an acute appointment? 3 (12); Yes 25 5. If you used the emergency department, why did you choose that over Coastal Family Medicine? 10 (40); emergency department easier than using clinic. 25 12 (48); were not aware of outpatient acute services. 3 (12); did not think the clinic could handle the child's issue.
