A Retrospective Study of Children Transferred from General Emergency Departments to a Pediatric Emergency Department: Which Transfers Are Potentially Amenable to Telemedicine?

• Published in: The Journal of pediatrics 2021-03, Vol.230, p.126-132.e1
• Main Authors: Varma, Selina, Schinasi, Dana A., Ponczek, Jacqueline, Baca, Jacqueline, Simon, Norma-Jean E., Foster, Carolyn C., Davis, Matthew M., Macy, Michelle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Hospital Departments; Humans; Infant; interfacility transfers; Male; Patient Transfer - organization & administration; pediatric emergency medicine; Pediatrics; Retrospective Studies; Telemedicine
• ISSN: 0022-3476; 1097-6833
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.10.070

To characterize children who experienced interfacility emergency department (ED) transfers with discharge home, and identify care potentially amenable to telemedicine in lieu of transfer. Retrospective cohort study (July 2016 to June 2017) of patients transferred from general EDs to an academic pediatric ED and discharged home. The primary outcome was care potentially amenable to telemedicine defined as pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) provider assessment without other in-person subspecialty evaluation, diagnostic evaluation available in a general ED (electrocardiogram, point-of-care, or urine tests), and/or referrals and medications available in a general ED. Analysis included descriptive and χ2 statistics. Of the 1733 patients transferred, 529 (31%) were discharged home and 22% of those discharged home had care potentially amenable to telemedicine. Patients amenable to telemedicine were more likely to be