Utilization characteristics of an advanced pediatric emergency center: a single center study over 2 years

Purpose Advanced pediatric emergency centers play an important role in professional treatment of children. We analyzed the characteristics of children who visited an advanced pediatric emergency center. Methods The study enrolled children younger than 15 years who had visited Keimyung University Dongsan Medical advanced pediatric emergency center between April 2016 and March 2018. We reviewed the children’s age group characteristics, time of visit, triage results by the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS), use of the emergency medical service ambulances, emergency department length of stay, final diagnosis, and final disposition. Results A total 41,355 children (mean age, 3.1 ± 3.0 years) were enrolled, and those aged 1-4 years accounted for 65.7%. The visit was most frequent in December, at night (40.2%), and at holiday hours (30.2%) (c.f., business hours, 11.5%). Fever (33.2%) and eyelid laceration (11.5%) were the most common final diagnoses of diseases and injuries, respectively. The children triaged as the KTAS 1-2 accounted for 5.9% of the study children (c.f., KTAS 3-4, 91.5%). According to time of visit, the proportion of hospitalization (31.4%) and transfer from other hospitals (34.7%) were most frequent at business hours than other times of visit (P < 0.001). Conclusion The children tended to visit the center with minor diseases or injuries, especially during holidays and at night. Further research is needed for optimizing the roles of advanced pediatric emergency centers, taking into account the characteristics of patients and demand for the centers.