The numbers of children visiting emergency departments (EDs)

The number of children visiting emergency departments (EDs) has been steadily increasing in recent years, far exceeding the 20% quota allotted to pediatric care at the institutions. According to Baren (2008), the majority of EDs are unable to accommodate the increase in the number of pediatric patients. The hypothesis has influenced numerous scholarly perspectives on the factors driving the ED strain.

Severe Health Challenges among the Pediatric Population

For example, Goel and Carachi (2014) attribute the situation to severe health challenges among the pediatric population. They claim that the pediatric population is experiencing an increase in the occurrence of alarming disorders such as airway and breathing difficulties, as well as cardiac output concerns. The epidemiological issue is aggravated by the fact that children cannot express themselves, thus slowing the rate of clearing patients.

Overcrowding as a Moral Hazard

On the other hand, Grigg, Shetgiri, Michel, Rafton, & Ebel (2013) consider overcrowding as a moral hazard, where parents are making unnecessary visits to EDs. The views have guided the current policy issue of establishing observation units, where the Department of Health and Human services is developing pre-hospital facilities to appraise whether children really need hospital admission.

Inadequacy of Available Resources

While the academic undertakings and policy developments assure a promising future, the current courses of action are insufficient. The American College of Emergency Physicians highlights the inadequacy, noting that pediatric patients have outstripped available resources. The trend has resulted in undesirable outcomes such as delayed treatment, unpleasant caregiving environments, longer waiting times, and poor quality care. However, the most sensitive issue has been destroying the agency relationship, where both attendants and parents turn aggressive because of the unfavorable clinical matters. The toll on the capacity is evidenced by current statistics, where minors who visit EDs are more likely to be hospitalized because prolonged waiting times worsen cases. They are also at a higher risk of developing complications because of time lost at the waiting queues as well as unavailability of beds to admit serious cases (Habib & Khan, 2017).

References

Baren, J. M. (2008). Pediatric emergency medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Goel, K. M., & Carachi, R. (2014). Hutchison’s Atlas of Pediatric Physical Diagnosis. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD, 356.

Grigg, A., Shetgiri MD, M. S. H. S., Michel, E., Rafton, S., & Ebel, B. E. (2013). Factors associated with nonurgent use of pediatric emergency care among Latino families. Journal of the National Medical Association, 105(1), 77.

Habib, M. I., & Khan, K. M. (2017). Overcrowding and possible solutions for a busy paediatric emergency department. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 67(9), 1398-1403.