Patient-Reported Experience in the Pediatric Emergency Department: What Matters Most?

"How long until I am seen, doc?" Modelling paediatric emergency department waiting times to make personalised predictions

BACKGROUND

ED patient wait times have been progressively increasing leading to patient dissatisfaction in ED. Managing patient expectations towards wait times in ED may be more effective at decreasing dissatisfaction than shortening actual wait times. Models for predicting wait times have been made for general EDs but not for solely paediatric departments. We aimed to create a model that could predict the personalised wait time of a child presenting to paediatric ED after triage.

METHODS

This was a single-centre retrospective study analysing all ED attendances to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022. From anonymised routinely collected administrative data, we created a multiple linear regression model to predict wait times. We developed the model by randomly assigning 80% of the data to a training set and used the remaining 20% as a validation set to assess the accuracy of our model. CIs were calculated using 500 bootstrap iterations sampled from the validation set. Understanding that patients are satisfied being seen sooner than their predicted wait time, we considered the result to be unsuccessful if their actual wait time was 30 min over their predicted wait time.

RESULTS

From 40 828 ED presentations, the median patient wait time was 65 min (IQR 34-122). Our model was able to predict wait times for 84.2% (95% CI 83.42% to 84.91%) of attendances successfully. Triage category, number of patients waiting, number of patients in the department, time of presentation, length of wait of last patient and day of week all had a significant impact on prediction of wait times (all p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Tailored models created using routine data can be used to give individualised predictions for wait times in paediatric ED, which could be given to patients with the aim of managing expectations and improving patient satisfaction.

Improving patient care experience in the pediatric emergency department: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of the project was to summarize existing evidence on patient experiences in pediatric emergency departments (EDs). The secondary objectives were to characterize patient care experience in pediatric EDs, identify barriers to optimal patient care in pediatric EDs, and identify equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles influencing pediatric emergency care.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of cohort, cross-sectional, and controlled clinical studies on children's (≤ 21 years) experience in the pediatric ED. We searched MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsycInfo (Ovid), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid), CENTRAL (Ovid), and CINAHL (EBSCO) from inception until September 7, 2023. Two reviewers independently screened articles for primary outcomes involving any health care outcome or health care utilization, along with secondary outcomes of EDI factors influencing patient care. Data were obtained from included studies using narrative and descriptive analysis. The process was strengthened by input from patients, families, and providers on the Manitoba Emergency Advisory Committee, who proposed additional areas for consideration.

RESULTS

Six articles were included, assessing 12 experiences. All studies were from high-volume centers. The primary outcome data indicated an overall satisfaction being rated positively, with satisfaction levels exceeding 70% despite lower ratings in privacy, communication, and waiting areas. Wait times and speed of care were significantly correlated with satisfaction (r = -0.48, P < 0.01 and r = 0.38, P < 0.01, respectively), noting wait times and privacy as barriers to care. The EDI factor impacting patient experience was race, showing decreased scores for privacy and patient voice for those identifying as non-white.

CONCLUSIONS

Even with a high overall satisfaction in the pediatric EDs, aspects influencing the experience can be improved. Wait times, waiting areas, privacy and EDI factor such as race should be addressed to help overcome barriers and improve the care patients receive.

Parental Preferences and Shared Decision-Making for the Management of Febrile Young Infants

OBJECTIVE

To inform shared decision-making by identifying parental preferences for the management of their febrile young infant.

METHODS

This was a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study using a cross-sectional questionnaire (May 2020-May 2022) followed by qualitative focus groups (September-December 2022) with parents of infants aged ≤60 days evaluated for fever at a tertiary pediatric hospital. Parental expectations, stressors, and desired level of decisional involvement were assessed using multiple-choice and 6-point-Likert scales. Questionnaire results informed the qualitative naturalistic inquiry into parents' decision-making experiences and preferences regarding the need for lumbar puncture (LP) and hospitalization.

RESULTS

Among 432 parents (64.9% response), few anticipated the need for LP (10.2%) or hospitalization (20.8%), and these were selected as the most stressful aspects of management. No parent identified lack of decisional involvement as the most important stressor, although nearly all (97.5%) wanted to be involved in management decisions. Six focus groups with a subset of 17 parents revealed 4 main themes: (1) varying preferences for decisional involvement depending on the strength of the medical recommendation; (2) importance of involving parents in their infant's medical care; (3) need for tailored information; and (4) importance of supportive relationships. Parents reported feeling involved in discussions about their infant's care but that decisions regarding LP and hospitalization were usually made by the medical team.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents of febrile young infants identified LP and hospitalization as the most unexpected and stressful aspects of care. Understanding individual family expectations and tailoring information based on the strength of medical recommendation is necessary to guide shared decision-making.

The Association of Emergency Severity Index Score and Patient and Family Experience in a Pediatric Emergency Department

The study aim was to determine the relationship between a patient's Emergency Severity Index (ESI) score and their or their family's response to the key performance indicator (KPI) question on the post-visit patient and family experience (PFE) survey. Retrospective review of patients presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, who completed the KPI question on an associated post-visit survey. We performed univariate analyses on all candidate variables; multivariable linear regression identified independent predictors of KPI on the PFE survey. A total of 8136 patients were included in the study. Although ESI score was significantly associated with PFE in univariate analysis, this association was lost in the multivariable model. Independent associations were appreciated with race/ethnicity, time to provider, length of stay, and procedure performance during the visit. Although ESI is not independently associated with PFE in this study, its interaction with factors such as time to provider, length of stay, and procedure performance may be important for emergency department providers creating interventions to impact experience during low acuity visits.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Emergency Department Wait Times for Children: Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of race and ethnicity with wait times for children in US emergency departments (ED).

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study of ED encounters of children (<18 years) from 2014 to 2019 using a multistage survey of nonfederal US ED encounters. Our primary variable of interest was composite race and ethnicity: non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and all others. Our outcome was ED wait time in minutes. We evaluated the association between race and ethnicity and wait time in Weibull regression models that sequentially added variables of acuity, demographics, hospital factors, and region/urbanicity.

RESULTS

We included 163,768,956 survey-weighted encounters. In univariable analysis, Hispanic children had a lower hazard ratio (HR) of progressing to evaluation (HR 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-0.93) relative to NHW children, indicating longer ED wait times. This association persisted in serial multivariable models incorporating acuity, demographics, and hospital factors. This association was not observed when incorporating variables of hospital region and urbanicity (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83-1.00). In subgroup analysis, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with longer wait times in pediatric EDs (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.63-0.92), non-metropolitan EDs (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.89), and the Midwest region (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.87). No differences in wait times were observed for children of Black race or other races.

CONCLUSIONS

Hispanic children experienced longer ED wait times across serial multivariable models, with significant differences limited to pediatric, metropolitan, and Midwest EDs. These results highlight the presence of disparities in access to prompt emergency care for children.

Usability Testing of a Patient-Centered Mobile Health App for Supporting and Guiding the Pediatric Emergency Department Patient Journey: Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

Patient experience in emergency departments (EDs) remains often suboptimal and can be a source of stress, particularly in pediatric settings. In an attempt to support patients and their families before, during, and after their visit to a pediatric ED, a mobile health (mHealth) app was developed by a multidisciplinary team based on patient-centered care principles.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the usability (effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction) of a new mHealth app, InfoKids, by potential end users through usability testing.

METHODS

The app was assessed through an in-laboratory, video-recorded evaluation in which participants had to execute 9 goal-oriented tasks, ranging from account creation to the reception of a diagnostic sheet at the end of the emergency care episode. Effectiveness was measured based on the task completion rate, efficiency on time on task, and user satisfaction according to answers to the System Usability Scale questionnaire. Think-aloud usability sessions were also transcribed and analyzed. Usability problems were rated for their severity and categorized according to ergonomic criteria.

RESULTS

A total of 17 parents participated in the study. The overall completion rate was 97.4% (149/153). Overall, they reported good effectiveness, with the task successfully completed in 88.2% (135/153) of cases (95% CI 83%-93%). Each task, with the exception of the first, created difficulties for some participants but did not prevent their completion by most participants. Users reported an overall good to excellent perceived usability of the app. However, ergonomic evaluation identified 14 usability problems occurring 81 time. Among these, 50% (7/14) were serious as their severity was rated as either major or catastrophic and indicated areas of improvements for the app. Following the suggested usability improvements by participants, mitigation measures were listed to further improve the app and avoid barriers to its adoption.

CONCLUSIONS

Usability of the InfoKids app was evaluated as good to excellent by users. Areas of improvement were identified, and mitigation measures were proposed to inform its development toward a universal app for all ED patients visiting a digitalized institution. Its contribution could also be useful in paving the way for further research on mobile apps aimed at supporting and accompanying patients in their care episodes, as research in this area is scarce.

Parents' Reported Experiences When Having a Child with Cataract-Important Aspects of Self-Management Obtained from the Paediatric Cataract Register (PECARE)

Parents are a crucial part in the care of children with pediatric cataract. The aim of this study was to explore and explain sense of coherence, family self-efficacy, perceived social support, fatigue and parent reported experiences (PREM), in order to improve clinical care. Questionnaires were sent to the parents of children registered in the Swedish national Pediatric Cataract Register, PECARE, from 2006–2019 (n = 506). The response rate was 46% (n = 231), 185 mothers and 44 fathers with a mean age of 40.39 years (SD ± 6.41 years). In total, 38% of the parents reported severe fatigue, and mothers were more burdened than fathers. Sense of coherence was strongly related to fatigue, especially among parents of children with bilateral cataract. Mental fatigue and reduced motivation explained 45% of the variation in sense of coherence. Being taken seriously by the ophthalmological clinic explained over 60% of the variation in satisfaction with care when controlled for parents’ age and gender. In conclusion, fatigue is important to take in consideration when interacting with parents of children with cataract, especially those with bilateral cataract. Being taken seriously is the key marker of satisfaction with care and support from professionals. In addition to fatigue, the parents’ age and life situation affect how they perceive their own, as well as the professionals’ effort, and should be considered when tailoring family-centered care.