Emergency care for XXXX in pediatric and general emergency departments.

@entity1 @entity341 @entity26144
OBJECTIVE: We examine the pediatric @entity341 ( @entity341 ) population and their clinical course in pediatric versus general @entity26144 and identify potential factors contributing to differences in performance metrics between the 2 @entity341 settings. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of pediatric visits to nationally representative @entity26144 participating in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1995 to 2002. Differences between pediatric and general @entity26144 were examined in terms of @entity1 characteristics and clinical course. RESULTS: Pediatric @entity26144 treated more @entity1 with medical problems than general @entity26144 , which treated more @entity1 with injuries. Visits by @entity1 to pediatric @entity26144 were associated with longer wait times to see a physician (median, 40 vs. 25 minutes; P < 0.001) and longer stays in the @entity341 (median, 130 vs. 98 minutes; P = 0.006). In multivariate analysis, the type of @entity341 treating a pediatric @entity1 was a significant determinant of wait time (percent change for pediatric @entity26144 , 23.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4-46.6), length of stay (percent change for pediatric @entity26144 , 23.0; 95% CI, 5.1-43.9), and rate of discharge (odds ratio for pediatric @entity26144 , 0.75; 95% CI 0.61-0.92). @entity1 in pediatric @entity26144 seemed to be sicker than those in general @entity26144 . CONCLUSIONS: These data provide the first glimpse of health care delivery to @entity1 seen in @entity26144 nationally. Our findings indicate that significant differences exist between pediatric visits to pediatric and general @entity26144 . These findings may be useful in establishing performance metrics for the care of ill and injured @entity1 in both pediatric and general @entity26144 .
