Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T12:34:23.887Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Demography of pediatric emergency care in Halifax, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

B.W. Taylor
B.W. Taylor*
Affiliation:
Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
*
Emergency Department, IWK Health Centre, 5850/5980 University Ave., PO Box 9700, Halifax NS B3K 6R8

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objectives:

Demography affects emergency department (ED) utilization and influences the health care needs of patients, yet the demographics of the caregivers who accompany children to pediatric EDs are not well described. The objective of this study was to provide a demographic description of this population. The hypothesis was that single parent status, annual income less than $20 000, and education no greater than high school constitute a social triad that might reduce the ability to provide health care for a sick child.

Methods:

Over a 1-month period, a convenience survey of caregivers who brought children to a pediatric ED was conducted. Twelve hundred surveys were distributed to 1733 eligible subjects. Social and economic determinants were captured, including age, gender, visible minority status, income group, employment, single parent status and education level.

Results:

In total, 1018 (85%) of 1200 surveys were returned — a population response rate of 59%. Single parent status, income less than $20 000/yr, and education no greater than high school were found to be risk factors for altered delivery of health care. Overall, 40.9% of caregivers had at least one risk factor, including 43.2% of women, 63.4% of those under 30 years of age, 65.1% of those with visible minority status, and 71.6% of women who were from a visible minority. In addition, 41.7% of single parents had no more than a high school education, and 75.7% of single parent families had incomes of less than $40 000 per year.

Conclusions:

It was found that a high level of educational, social and financial disadvantage in our population. These factors may adversely affect parental capability to provide health care at home for their child. The extent of this problem in other regions is not well defined and should be a focus of future research. It is recommended that inquiry into parental income, education and single parent status be a routine part of the history in pediatric emergency populations.

Keywords

demographicssocioeconomic statuspediatric emergency care
Type
Original Research • Recherche originale
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , July 2006 , pp. 269 - 274
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2006

References

1.Mallon, B, Cullen, A, Keenan, P, et al. A profile of attendere at the A&E department of the Children’s Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin. Ir Med J 1997;90:266–7.Google Scholar
2.Partridge, MR, Latouche, D, Trako, E, et al. A national census of those attending UK accident and emergency departments with asthma. The UK National Asthma Task Force. J Accid Emerg Med 1997;14:16–20.Google Scholar
3.McCaig, LF, Burt, CW. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 1999 emergency department summary. Adv Data 2001; 320:1–34.Google Scholar
4.Murphy, AW, Leonard, C, Plunkett, PK, et al. Characteristics of attenders and their attendances at an urban accident and emergency department over a one year period. J Accid Emerg Med 1999;16:425–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Sun, BC, Burstin, HR, Brennan, TA. Predictors and outcomes of frequent emergency department users. Acad Emerg Med 2003;10:320–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Dales, RE, Choi, B, Chen, Y, et al. Influence of family income on hospital visits for asthma among Canadian school children. Thorax 2002;57:513–7.Google Scholar
7.Boudreaux, ED, Emond, SD, Clark, S, et al. Acute asthma among adults presenting to the emergency department: the role of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Chest 2003;124:803–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Biros, MH, Hoffman, PL, Resch, K. The prevalence and perceived health consequences of hunger in emergency department patient populations. Acad Emerg Med 2005;12:310–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Klinnert, MD, Price, MR, Liu, AH, et al. Morbidity patterns among low-income wheezing infants. Pediatrics 2003;112:49–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Palazzi, S, de Girolamo, G, Liverani, T. Italian Child Maltreatment study group. Observational study of suspected maltreatment in Italian paediatric emergency departments. Arch Dis Cild 2005;90:406–10.Google Scholar
11.Statistics Canada. Incidence of low income among the population living in private households, by census metropolitan area (1996 and 2001 censuses) (St. John’s, Halifax, Saint John, Saguenay, Québec). Available: www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/famil60e.htm?sdi=halifax%20income (accessed 2006 June 13).Google Scholar
12.Statistics Canada. Labour force characteristics, unadjusted, by census metropolitan area (3 month moving average) (St. John’s [N.L.], Halifax [N.S.], Saint John [N.B.]). Available: www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/lfss04a.htm?sdi=halifax%20employment (accessed 2006 June 13).Google Scholar
13.Statistics Canada. Labour force characteristics, unadjusted, by census metropolitan area (3 month moving average) (Oshawa [Ont.], Toronto [Ont.], Hamilton [Ont.]). Available: www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/lfss04e.htm (accessed 2006 June 13).Google Scholar
14.Statistics Canada. Labour force characteristics, unadjusted, by census metropolitan area (3 month moving average) (Trois-Rivières [Que.], Montréal [Que.], Ottawa-Gatineau [Ont.-Que.]). Available: www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/lfss04c.htm (accessed 2006 June 13).Google Scholar
15.Statistics Canada. Labour force characteristics, unadjusted, by census metropolitan area (3 month moving average) (Abbotsford [B.C.], Vancouver [B.C.], Victoria [B.C.]). Available: www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/lfss04j.htm (accessed 2006 June 13).Google Scholar