Mary Jean Ohns
Toledo Children’s Hospital, USA
Title: Non-urgent use of the emergency department by pediatric patients: A theory guided approach for primary and acute care pediatric nurse practitioners
Biography
Biography: Mary Jean Ohns
Abstract
Providing quality cost-effective care to children and their families in the appropriate setting is the goal of nurse practitioners in primary and acute care. However, increased utilization of the emergency department (ED) for non-urgent care threatens cost-effective quality care, interrupts continuity of care and contributes to ED overcrowding. To date, descriptive research has identified demographics of those using the ED for non-urgent care, the chief complaints of children seeking non-urgent care, the cost to the healthcare system of pediatric non-urgent care, and characteristics of associated primary care settings. Using Donabedian’s Model of Quality of Healthcare (1988) and a Theory of Dependent Care (Taylor, Renpenning, Geden, Neuman & Hart, 2001) acute and primary care Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNP) can incorporate interventions that will channel care to the appropriate setting and educate caregivers regarding common childhood illnesses and the value of continuity of care. By using a theoretical framework as a guide both acute and primary care PNPs may understand why parents seek non-urgent care for their children in the ED and actions they can take to assure care is provided in an optimal setting.