Contact with National Health Service in the week after an acute medical paediatric admission: a data linkage study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Contact with National Health Service in the week after an acute medical paediatric admission

T2 - a data linkage study

AU - Dick, Smita

AU - Kyle, Richard

AU - Wilson, Philip

AU - Aucott, Lorna

AU - France, Emma

AU - King, Emma

AU - Malcolm, Cari

AU - Hoddinott, Pat

AU - Turner, Steve W.

N1 - © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.

PY - 2025/9

Y1 - 2025/9

N2 - Introduction After a child is discharged home following an emergency admission to hospital, little is known about contact with emergency departments (ED) or out-of-hours (OOH) general practice. Here, we report the number of contacts with ED and OOH in the week after discharge from hospital in Scotland during 2015–2017, including the number of contacts which result in a readmission. Methods Databases containing routinely collected details from hospital admissions for an acute medical condition and subsequent presentation to ED or OOH were linked using a unique personal identifier and the date of discharge. Results Of 171 039 urgent admissions, the source of referral was identified for 97 177 (57%) including 92 148 referred by ED or OOH. In the week following discharge, 11 025 (11%) children had a total of 11 497 contacts with ED and/or OOH. The daily number of contacts with ED and/or OOH fell from 2560 on the day after discharge to 1008 1 week after discharge. There were 3892 (35%) children readmitted following contact with ED and/or OOH. An additional 7133 children had a total of 7605 contacts with ED and/or OOH in the week postdischarge but were not readmitted. Conclusion Many families seek medical assistance for their child from ED and/or OOH in the week after discharge from hospital, and the majority are not managed by or referred back to paediatric services. Clearer discharge planning could reduce the burden on ED, OOH and parents.

AB - Introduction After a child is discharged home following an emergency admission to hospital, little is known about contact with emergency departments (ED) or out-of-hours (OOH) general practice. Here, we report the number of contacts with ED and OOH in the week after discharge from hospital in Scotland during 2015–2017, including the number of contacts which result in a readmission. Methods Databases containing routinely collected details from hospital admissions for an acute medical condition and subsequent presentation to ED or OOH were linked using a unique personal identifier and the date of discharge. Results Of 171 039 urgent admissions, the source of referral was identified for 97 177 (57%) including 92 148 referred by ED or OOH. In the week following discharge, 11 025 (11%) children had a total of 11 497 contacts with ED and/or OOH. The daily number of contacts with ED and/or OOH fell from 2560 on the day after discharge to 1008 1 week after discharge. There were 3892 (35%) children readmitted following contact with ED and/or OOH. An additional 7133 children had a total of 7605 contacts with ED and/or OOH in the week postdischarge but were not readmitted. Conclusion Many families seek medical assistance for their child from ED and/or OOH in the week after discharge from hospital, and the majority are not managed by or referred back to paediatric services. Clearer discharge planning could reduce the burden on ED, OOH and parents.

U2 - 10.1136/archdischild-2024-328208

DO - 10.1136/archdischild-2024-328208

M3 - Article

C2 - 40044279

SN - 0003-9888

VL - 110

SP - 712

EP - 716

JO - Archives of Disease in Childhood

JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood

IS - 9

ER -