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Table 1 Description of included studies (n = 75)

From: Discharge communication practices in pediatric emergency care: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Author, publication year

Study objective related to discharge communication

Study design

Appraisal checklist used

Country

Sample characteristics

Key findings as related to study objectives

Al-Harthy et al. 2016 [24]

To determine the delivery and usefulness of discharge instructions received in the pediatric ED.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

Saudi Arabia

173 parents who had a child discharged from a pediatric ED and attended a follow-up appointment.

55% of parents received verbal discharge communication and 35% did not receive any form of instruction. The 6% of parents who received both verbal and written instructions were more knowledgeable about medication details compared the other groups.

Ali et al. 2012 [25]

To determine if discharge communication or poor provider-patient relationship were reasons for return visits to the ED within 72 h of initial visit.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

246 parents who returned to the ED within 72 h of the initial visit with their child (surveyed: n = 124, not surveyed: n = 122).

75% of parents returned because their child’s symptoms had not improved. Almost all parents (94%) thought their discharge communication were informative and were satisfied with their care on the initial visit.

Chacon et al. 1994 [26]

To assess parents’ reading level, assess written information resources provided in pediatric ED to ensure information was an appropriate reading level, and update resources based on the findings.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

Canada

1022 parents who attended a pediatric ED with their child.

Half of the written discharge communications provided in the ED were written at a university level, much higher than the recommended grade 6–7 reading level. Parents found the updated written instructions provided useful information and were easy to read and understand.

Demorest et al. 2004 [31]

To assess parents’ memory of receiving poison prevention information during the ED visit.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

75 parents of children (< 6 years) who were brought to ED for acute accidental poisoning.

73% of parents did not recall receiving any information on poison prevention during their ED visit.

Grover et al. 1994 [57]

To examine parent recall of information and instruction provided during an ED visit.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

152 parents with children who presented to the ED with non-traumatic conditions.

25% of parents could not properly recall their child’s diagnosis. When one medication was prescribed, only 30% of parents could recall the name of the medication, and only 13% could properly name all medications when multiple were prescribed.

Hanson et al. 2017 [33]

To determine if an illustrated education sheet was a feasible method to convey information to parents and children in the ED.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

50 parents and their child (4–18 years) who presented to the pediatric ED.

Comic module was feasible to use in the ED and could be independently read in less than 11 min. Children < 12 years needed help. At 3-day follow-up, 86% of parents remembered all components taught in the comic educational module.

Johnson 1999 [36]

To determine if parents valued and utilized written health information provided during an ED visit.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

Australia

200 parents of children who received pamphlets when their child presented at the ED for gastroenteritis, croup, application of bandage, or head injury.

95% of parents found the written information useful and 71% kept it for reference. Only half of parents indicated that a clinician reviewed the pamphlet with them during the ED visit.

Kaestli et al. 2015 [59]

To determine if the provision of customized drug information leaflets would improve parent knowledge.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

France

125 French-speaking parents of children (0–16 years) who were discharged from ED (control: n = 56, intervention: n = 69).

Parents who received the drug information leaflets had significantly improved knowledge scores than controls about drug dosing (89.1% vs. 62.3%), frequency (85.5% vs. 57.9%), duration (66.7% vs. 34.2%), and indication (94.9% vs. 70.2%) (p ≤ 0.0001).

Lawson et al. 2011 [38]

To determine parents’ knowledge about child car seats and how many parents received car seat-specific discharge instructions in the ED.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

92 parents who attended the ED with their child following a car accident.

Most parents reported regular use of car seats for their child and knew of the requirements for car seats for children < 8 years. Only 18% of parents received information regarding child car seat safety during their ED visit.

Macy et al. 2013 [40]

To examine physicians’ awareness of and referrals to child passenger safety resources.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

638 ED physicians.

Physicians working in pediatric ED were significantly more likely to know about hospital resources to assist with child safety compared to physicians in non-pediatric centres (p < 0.001). More than half of physicians identified that they likely would not provide written discharge communication about car seats following a motor vehicle collision.

Melzer-Lange et al. 1998 [41]

To compare rates of follow-up care between ED violence related injuries and other presentations.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

426 medical records of adolescent patients (13–18 years) who presented to the pediatric ED.

Adolescents who presented with violence related injuries were less likely to receive discharge information about follow-up care compared to other ED presentations.

Philips 2009 [42]

To evaluate the implementation of a best practice-based asthma management policy.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

Australia

100 parents who presented to the ED with a child (< 17 years) with asthma.

Parents’ asthma management greatly improved following the intervention. Responses to the follow-up survey improved after the intervention implementation.

Ray et al. 2016 [45]

To determine how adolescents who attend the ED prefer to receive discharge and follow-up communication.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

439 adolescents (14–19 years) who attended the pediatric ED.

78% of adolescents preferred receiving ED discharge communication and follow-up appointment information via electronic means, with 57% of these participants preferring to receive this information in both printed and electronic formats.

Sargant and Milsom 2012 [47]

To develop a cellphone “app” to provide additional written and oral education for common ED presentations.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

UK

520 parents who waited for care for at least 30 min in the ambulatory zone between 10 am and 10 pm.

97% of survey respondents thought phone apps would be useful in providing additional information following an ED visit.

Stevens et al. 2010 [50]

To identify if parents were able to recognize post-concussive symptoms following ED discharge.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

105 parents of children (5–17 years) who were treated at pediatric ED for concussion.

Almost 70% of parents were not able to identify post-concussive symptoms in their child and 46.6% did not attribute their child’s symptom(s) to their concussion.

Wahl et al. 2011 [52]

To identify parents’ thoughts on the current methods of ED discharge communication and examine families’ needs for health information.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

UK

1046 parents of children presenting to the pediatric ED.

80.5% of parents enjoyed the current written discharge communication, but 47.9% noted a video format would be useful. Over half of parents also used friends and family (59.5%) and the internet (57.5%) for additional information following ED discharge.

Waisman et al. 2003 [53]

To examine parents’ level of understanding of discharge communication and factors that influence their understanding.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

Israel

287 parents of children discharged home from the ED.

75% of parents understood their child’s diagnosis and 84.5% understood the treatment plan. The use of medical terms and jargon was the primary reason for not fully understanding the information.

Waisman et al. 2005 [54]

To examine the impact of diagnosis-specific discharge communication sheets on parents’ understanding of ED discharge communication.

Cross-sectional

Analytical cross-sectional study

Israel

95 parents of children discharged home from the ED.

Parents were significantly more likely to fully understand treatment instructions (p = 0.025) with the use of the information sheets, but it did not significantly improve understanding of their child’s diagnosis (p = 0.54).

Zonfrillo et al. 2011 [55]

To examine ED physicians’ knowledge of child passenger safety recommendations and their provision of this information.

Cross-sectional survey and retrospective chart review

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

317 physicians who reported routinely treating children involved in motor vehicle collisions.

85% of physicians thought it was important to include discharge communication about child passenger safety recommendations, although a review of medical charts showed only 8.6% of visits contained child passenger information.

Fung et al. 2009 [58]

To review the content of written discharge information provided to mild traumatic brain injury patients and their caregivers, compared to six key evidence-based recommendations.

Cross-sectional study

Analytical cross-sectional study

Canada and USA

10 ED in New York and five ED in Ontario

All of the written forms included in the study varied widely in the content and delivery of discharge information. Only one form included all six recommendations. The average reading level of the resources was 8.2, compared to the ideal level of 5–6.

Hawley et al. 2012 [34]

To evaluate printed resources provided to parents of children with head injuries.

Cross-sectional study

Analytical cross-sectional study

UK

211 hospitals provided copies of their printed head injury resources for the study.

The quality of information provided in the printed resources varied. Thirty-three resources received a perfect score and an additional 33 resources were considered to include questionable information.

Qureshi et al. 2013 [44]

To evaluate written discharge information provided to parents of children with head injuries with the recommendations from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN).

Cross-sectional study

Analytical cross-sectional study

Scotland

36 hospitals provided copies of the written head injury information.

The quality of written information for head injuries varied widely, with anywhere from 4 to 20 of the 20 SIGN urgent symptoms to monitor being listed (median score of 10/20 guidelines identified). Two leaflets contained the majority of head injury guidelines and four pamphlets provided erroneous or unclear details.

Thomas et al. 2017 [51]

To determine the effect of reinforcing written discharge communication with verbal instruction on parents’ recall of discharge communication.

Nested observational study

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

93 parents of pediatric patients presenting to the ED with mild traumatic brain injury.

Receiving verbal instructions in addition to written handouts on post-concussion care was associated with improved recall of instructions (67% vs 44%; p < 0.05).

Cheng et al. 2002 [27]

To assess factors associated with metered-dose inhaler spacers (MDIS) use at home in children with asthma who received asthma education during their ED visit.

Prospective observational

Analytical cross-sectional study

Australia

73 parents of children (12 months–16 years) who attended a pediatric ED with asthma.

Compliance with MDIS use at home was significantly higher when MDIS was used during the ED visit (p = 0.05), the parents received written instructions on how to use MDIS at home (p = 0.003), and receiving a smaller sized spacer (p ≤ 0.001). Parent preferences and size of the spacers were factors in non-compliance at home.

Crain et al. 1999 [29]

To assess the development and use of a tool to code history taking and discharge planning during asthma related ED visits.

Prospective observational

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

154 parents of children (4–9 years) who presented to an ED with asthma.

Half of the items (7/13) on the ED asthma care checklist were endorsed by over 90% of physicians and allergists. Very few elements from the checklist were identified during ED visits.

Hemphill et al. 1998 [35]

To identify factors associated with compliance with recommended follow-up after ED visits.

Prospective observational

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

330 parents of children (3 months–10 years) who presented to the ED with fever.

Parents who received an appointment time were 2.5 times as likely to comply with follow-up than parents who had to make an appointment with a pediatrician.

Pizarro et al. 1979 [43]

To reduce hospitalizations by evaluating the effectiveness of training mothers in the ED to provide oral rehydration at home for their ill infants.

Prospective observational

Analytical cross-sectional study

Costa Rica

100 infants (18 days–20 months) who presented to the ED with diarrhea.

Providing oral rehydration solutions and including parents in the rehydration care at the ED was beneficial in 92% of cases, and helped reduce length of hospital stay.

Samuels-Kalow et al. 2013 [46]

To examine how language impacted discharge communication and parents’ understanding of the information.

Prospective observational

Analytical cross-sectional study

USA

210 parents of children (2 months–2 years) presenting at a pediatric ED with fever and/or respiratory illness.

32% of parents demonstrated dosing errors during discharge, despite receiving written instructions for dosing. Spanish- vs English-speaking parents were significantly more likely to make a dosing error (54% vs. 25%).

Sauer et al. 2012 [49]

To determine if providing detailed information and a telephone hotline to help schedule follow-up appointments could reduce return ED visits.

Cohort study

Cohort

USA

2120 patients attending a pediatric ED.

Patients who received the intervention were less likely to return to the ED following discharge. Only 10% of patients used the telephone hotline to schedule follow-up appointments.

Akinsola et al. 2017 [23]

To determine if a quality improvement project improved written discharge communication.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

USA

1763 charts of children who presented to the ED with an emergency index score of 2 or 3.

The intervention significantly improved each of the eight individual (91–99% improvement) written discharge communication elements. There was a significant improvement in providing all eight elements of discharge communication to patients (p < 0.001).

Chorley 2005 [28]

To determine the ED discharge information provided for ankle sprains, follow-up appointments, and differences between instructions provided to adults and pediatric patients.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

USA

374 patient charts.

None of the patients received all of the discharge communication components for ankle sprains. Younger patients were more likely than adult patients to receive the information to rest, ice, compress, elevate, and use analgesia medications.

De Maio et al. 2014 [30]

To assess the discharge information provided to pediatric patients following an ED visit for concussion.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

USA

218 patients (6–18 years) who had presented to a pediatric ED with a possible concussion.

Most patients were not told to restrict activities following their concussion, although activity restriction was more likely to be discussed with patients with sports-based injuries.

Gaucher et al. 2011 [32]

To examine the effect of nurse counseling on common childhood illnesses on the return rates of patients who leave the ED without being seen by a physician.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

Canada

10,323 children (< 19 years) who were triaged by a nurse but left the ED before being seen by a physician.

Nurse counseling for patients leaving the ED prior to seeing a physician significantly reduced likelihood of return to the ED within 48 h than those who were not counseled by a nurse (8.1% vs. 6.1%; OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65–0.94).

Lawrence et al. 2009 [37]

To determine if standardized typed diagnosis-specific instructions decreased return visits to the pediatric ED.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

USA

979 children who presented to the ED.

Diagnosis-specific typed discharge communication did not reduce inappropriate return (3% vs. 2.3%) or medically unnecessary (15% vs. 13%) visits to the ED compared to handwritten instructions.

Ly and Dennehy 2007 [39]

To examine ED management of pediatric asthma and if it followed national guidelines.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

USA

141 patients (1–17 years) who presented to the ED with asthma.

Guidelines for discharge communication were not followed consistently. About two thirds (67.4%) did not receive asthma device training, 80.1% did not receive a written action plan, and 50% of patients over the age of six did not receive a peak flow meter.

Sarsfield et al. 2013 [48]

To determine if follow-up care and activity limitations were included in discharge information provided for head injuries.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

USA

204 children (2–18 years) who presented to the trauma center with minor head injuries, traumas, or concussions.

95% of patients were informed about follow-up care and 82% received information about anticipatory guidance.

Upchurch et al. 2015 [56]

To determine if a concussion-based intervention improved discharge communication provided in the ED.

Retrospective cohort study

Cohort

USA

497 children who presented to the pediatric ED between 2004 and 2012 with a sports-related concussion.

66% of patients received appropriate discharge communication, which improved to 75% after 2010 (p = 0.179). Referrals to specialists significantly improved after 2010 (p < 0.001).

Samuels-Kalow et al. 2015 [97]

To determine the impact of “teach-back” in the ED based on health literacy level.

Interviews

Qualitative

USA

31 interviews with parents of pediatric asthma patients in the ED (15 with limited literacy); 20 interviews with adult ED asthma patients (12 with limited literacy).

Across all participants and health literacy levels, asthma teach-back in the ED was viewed as an important way to confirm understanding of information, helped to reinforce key messages, and improved communication with health care providers.

Samuels-Kalow et al. 2016 [96]

To identify barriers and facilitators of the ED discharge communication process.

Interviews

Qualitative

USA

31 interviews with parents of pediatric asthma patients in the ED (15 with limited literacy); 20 interviews with adult ED asthma patients (12 with limited literacy).

Participants appreciated simple visuals and language, consistency in terms used, and having dedicated time for discharge communication during the ED visit. Some parents of pediatric patients also discussed feeling insecure disclosing to health care providers when they did not fully understand the content of discharge communication.

Leickly et al. 1998 [95]

To examine factors that affect adherence to asthma treatment plans.

Interviews and chart review

Qualitative

USA

344 English- and Spanish-speaking children (4–9 years) presenting at inner city ED with asthma.

Interviews indicated that parents might overuse the ED due to lack of planning for acute asthma symptoms. Asthma management follow-up was also influenced by PCP recommendation of scheduling an appointment.

Boychuk et al. 2006 [70]

To develop and implement an ED-based, asthma education program based on National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEEP) guidelines.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

Phase 1: 590 patients (< 18 years) Phase 2: 313 patients (< 18 years)

Asthma education can be provided effectively in ED. The intervention was also effective at connecting ED and community physicians to encourage asthma education and treatment with patients.

Considine and Brennan 2007 [78]

To examine the effect of a staff educational intervention on discharge advice provided to parents leaving the ED.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

Australia

40 parents of children who presented to the ED with fever.

Structured education of ED nurses through two 30-min tutorials improved discharge advice given to parents.

Kruesi et al. 1999 [87]

To examine if injury prevention education could reduce access to lethal means.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

103 parents who brought a child (6–19 years) to the ED to receive a mental health assessment (control: n = 62, intervention: n = 41).

The intervention group was significantly more likely to take action to limit access to prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and firearms (p ≤ 0.05).

O’Neill-Murphy et al. 2001 [88]

To examine if a fever education intervention could help reduce parent anxiety and improve home management of fevers.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

87 parents of children (3 months–5 years) who presented to the ED with a fever (control: n = 43, intervention: n = 44).

Both groups had reduced anxiety levels at post-test. There were no significant differences in knowledge scores between groups.

Patel et al. 2009 [76]

To improve parent recall of verbal discharge information with the use of a bilingual discharge facilitator.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

325 English- or Spanish-speaking parents who brought a child (3 months–18 years) to the ED (control: n = 270, intervention: n = 192).

Parents in the discharge facilitator group could recall more signs and symptoms than standard discharge group (mean 4.3 vs 3.3; mean difference 1.0)

Petersen et al. 1999 [77]

To determine if an asthma education tool improved rates of follow-up care.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

Children (5–16 years) who presented to the ED with asthma (before: n = 114; after: n = 97).

There was a significant increase in proportion of children told to return for follow-up (54% to 81%, p = < 0.0001), but there was no difference in follow-up rates (7% to 6%) following implementation of the tool.

Porter et al. 2006 [80]

To determine the effectiveness of an asthma information kiosk on parent satisfaction, and clinician use of the kiosk information.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

273 parents were included in the implementation phase study (control: n = 131, intervention: n = 142).

Parents’ satisfaction with health care providers did not increase with the use of the kiosk (0.8 vs. 0.7). When clinicians used the kiosk information, there were fewer reported issues (0.6 vs. 1.1).

Rotheram-Borus et al. 2000 [91]

To implement a specialized ED and outpatient suicide prevention intervention to decrease suicidal behaviors.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

140 females (12–18 years) who had attempted suicide and their parent presented in the ED (control: n = 75, intervention: n = 65).

Rates of reattempts (n = 11 control, n = 6 intervention) and suicide ideation across both groups were consistently low during the 18 months follow-up.

To et al. 2010 [79]

To determine if an asthma information card would improve asthma management in the ED.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

Canada

432 children (2–17 years) who presented to the ED with an acute asthma exacerbation (control: n = 278, intervention: n = 154).

Use of an asthma management reminder card improved the provision of oxygen (p = 0.00074), salbutamol (p ≤ 0.0001), ipratropium bromide (p = 0.0161), and oral corticosteroids (p ≤ 0.0001) in the ED. However, there were no significant differences in providing information about asthma (p = 0.5940) or follow-up visits (p = 0.0705) between groups.

Williams et al. 2013 [75]

To improve parents’ understanding of their child’s asthma severity during the ED visit.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

Children with asthma aged 1–17 years (controls: n = 216, intervention: n = 70).

Parents who received the asthma education intervention were more likely to attend follow-up care in the week following discharge (p ≤ 0.0001).

Wood et al. 2017 [71]

To determine if providing video discharge communication would improve parents’ knowledge.

Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies (non-randomized experimental studies)

USA

83 parents of children (up to 21 years) who presented to the ED with gastroenteritis, fever, or bronchiolitis (control: n = 42, intervention: n = 41).

Across the three illness presentations, parents who received the intervention had significantly higher knowledge scores compared to parents who received standard discharge communication (gastroenteritis 73% vs. 57%, p = 0.005; fever 76% vs. 69%, p ≤ 0.001; bronchiolitis 64% vs. 49%, p = 0.025).

Gorelick et al. 2006 [62]

To compare low, medium, and high intensity asthma interventions on ED return visits and quality of life (QOL).

RCT

RCT

USA

352 children who presented to the ED with acute asthma (control: n = 116, intervention group 1: n = 118, intervention group 2: n = 118).

No differences between study groups for return visits to the ED (17.3% vs. 17.9% vs. 19.2%, p = 0.94).

Stevens et al. 2012 [66]

To determine the effect of a childhood pain management video on parents’ knowledge and pain meds use following ED discharge.

RCT

RCT

USA

100 parents of children (1–18 years) who presented to the ED with pain (control: n = 41, intervention: n = 59).

The intervention group had significantly improved knowledge of pain (p = 0.04), the impact of pain on function (p ≤ 0.01), and misconceptions around pain medications (p ≤ 0.01).

Baker et al. 2009 [64]

To determine if an educational video about home management of fevers could reduce return ED visits.

Randomized cohort study

RCT

USA

280 parents who presented to the ED with a child (3–36 months) with a fever (control: n = 140, intervention: n = 140).

Intervention group had significantly improved responses to appropriate knowledge and treatment of fever (p ≤ 0.0001). No difference between groups for return ED visits (p = 0.46).

Zorc et al. 2003 [82]

To determine if scheduling follow-up appointments during the ED visit improves follow-up rates.

Randomized trial

RCT

USA

286 parents with children (2–18 years) who were treated for asthma and discharged from the ED. Eight potential participants were excluded; leaving 139 participants included in each the control and the intervention group.

The intervention group was more likely to follow-up with a primary health care provider (64% vs. 46%, p = 0.003), and in a shorter time frame (13 vs. 54 days, p = 0.004).

Asarnow et al. 2011 [92]

To evaluate a suicide prevention intervention to improve use of outpatient care and decrease suicide attempts.

RCT

RCT

USA

181 suicidal youths (10–18 years) (control: n = 92, intervention: n = 89).

Intervention group significantly more likely to attend outpatient care (92% vs. 76%, p = 0.004), but was not significantly associated with decreased suicide attempts (13% vs. 13%).

Bloch and Bloch 2013 [67]

To determine if a video providing discharge information improved parents’ knowledge of the ED visit and follow-up care.

RCT

RCT

USA

436 parents who presented to the ED with a child (< 18 years old) with asthma, fever, or vomiting/diarrhea (control: n = 220, intervention: n = 216).

Intervention group had significantly higher knowledge scores at (12.2 vs. 8.9, p < 0.0001) and following (11.1 vs. 7.9, p ≤ 0.0001) ED visit.

Brooks et al. 2017 [90]

To determine how useful symptom-specific discharge instructions were to parents in managing their child’s concussion symptoms and activities.

RCT

RCT

USA

114 parents of children (7–17 years) who presented to the ED with a concussion (control: n = 56, intervention: n = 58).

The intervention group found the discharge instructions significantly more helpful compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Although the control group were more likely to contact their PCP regarding concussion follow-up care (p < 0.05).

Chande et al. 1996 [69]

To determine if educating parents could reduce unnecessary ED visits.

RCT

RCT

USA

130 parents who presented to the ED with a child with a minor illness (control: n = 61, intervention: n = 48).

Six months following the initial ED discharge, there was no significant difference between groups returning to the ED (30% vs. 26%, p = 0.68).

Cushman et al. 1991 [86]

To encourage the purchase of helmets following a visit to the ED with a child with a bike injury.

RCT

RCT

Canada

334 parents who presented to the ED with a child who had a bike injury (control: n = 173, intervention: n = 161).

There was no significant difference in helmet purchases between groups (9.3 vs. 8.1, p = 0.69).

Delp and Jones, 1996 [60]

To determine if parent comprehension was improved with the use of cartoon illustrations with discharge information.

RCT

RCT

USA

234 patients and parents (of children under 14 years) who were released from the ED and had a telephone (control: n = 129, intervention: n = 105).

The intervention group was more likely to have read the discharge information (98% vs 79%, p ≤ 0.001), properly answer questions about care (46% vs 6%, p ≤ 0.001) and adhere to discharge information (77% vs. 54%, p ≤ 0.01).

Ducharme et al. 2011 [61]

To determine if providing written action plan and a prescription improved adherence to asthma controller medication.

RCT

RCT

Canada

219 children diagnosed with asthma who had received albuterol nebulization treatment at least once, and were discharged home with albuterol and fluticasone in metered-dose inhalers (control: n = 110, intervention: n = 109).

Compliance with asthma discharge information was comparable between groups at 14 days, but by 4 weeks post-ED visit, the intervention group had double the compliance rate of the control group (mean group difference 16.1%).

Hart et al. 2015 [72]

To determine if an interactive online education resource improved parents’ knowledge of fever.

RCT

RCT

Canada

203 parents of children who presented to the ED with fever (control: n = 67, interactive website intervention: n = 66, standard website intervention = 70).

Parents who received either intervention had significant improvements in mean knowledge scores compared to control group (3.9 vs. 3.5 vs. 0.2, p ≤ 0.001). No differences in knowledge scores between the two intervention groups (p = 0.55).

Hussain-Rizvi et al. 2009 [81]

To determine if parents providing MDIS with physician supervision improved compliance with asthma home management.

RCT

RCT

USA

86 children (1–5 years) who had presented to the ED with acute asthma exacerbation (control: n = 46, intervention: n = 40).

Outcomes were comparable between groups. However, the intervention group had better MDIS use following ED discharge (95.0% vs. 71.7%, p = 0.04).

Isaacman et al. 1992 [74]

To determine if offering verbal or verbal and written discharge information would improve information recall.

RCT

RCT

USA

197 parents of a child with otitis media (control/usual care: n = 84, standardized verbal: n = 52, standardized verbal + written intervention: n = 61).

Parents in all groups improved recall of medication data, signs of improvement, and worrisome signs from exit interview to day 1 and 3. Standardized instruction groups performed significantly better than control in all areas except medication data at all time points. Verbal + written group significantly better than written alone on signs of improvement at exit interview only (56.9% vs. 25.3%; p < 0.05)

Ismail et al. 2016 [68]

To determine if providing video discharge information would improve recall and comprehension.

RCT

RCT

USA

63 parents who presented to the ED with a child with either a fever or closed head injury (control: n = 32, intervention: n = 31).

Intervention group had higher post-test scores compared to control group (88.89 vs. 75.73, p ≤ 0.0001).

Jones et al. 1989 [84]

To increase compliance with follow-up care through the use of health belief model (HBM) clinical nursing interventions.

RCT

RCT

USA

59 patients who presented to the ED with otitis media (control: n = 19, HBM phone intervention: n = 12, HBM clinical intervention: n = 14, HBM phone and clinical intervention: n = 14).

All intervention groups had higher rates of scheduling (90% vs 26%, p ≤ 0.001) and keeping (73% vs. 21%, p ≤ 0.001) a follow-up appointment compared to the control group. No significant differences in compliance rates between the three intervention groups.

Komoroski et al. 1996 [93]

To determine the effectiveness of two interventions provided prior to ED discharge aimed at improving rates of follow-up care.

RCT

RCT

USA

253 patients or parents of pediatric patients who presented to the ED with nonurgent conditions which required follow-up (control: n = 89, simple intervention: n = 85, intense intervention: n = 79)

Participants in the intense intervention group had the highest follow-up rates. The simple intervention group (p < 0.001) and the intense intervention group (p < 0.001) both had significantly higher rates compared to the control group. Those in the intense intervention group also had higher follow-up rates compared to the simple intervention, but it was not statistically significant.

LeMay et al. 2010 [73]

To test an education intervention about pediatric pain 24 h following ED discharge.

RCT

RCT

Canada

195 parents who visited the ED with a child with a musculoskeletal injury, burn, deep laceration, or acute abdominal pain (control: n = 97, intervention: n = 98).

No differences between groups for pain intensity at triage (5.4 vs. 5.11) and 24 h post-discharge (3.3 vs. 3.1). No differences in the level of unpleasantness experienced at triage (4.9 vs. 4.8) or 24 h post triage (3.0 vs. 3.1) (p = 0.05 for all tests).

Macy et al. 2011 [65]

To determine if a discharge communication video about asthma improved parents’ knowledge.

RCT

RCT

USA

129 parents of a child (2–14 years) who presented to the ED with asthma (control: n = 67, intervention: n = 62).

Parents with low literacy had improved asthma knowledge in both the intervention and control groups (p ≤ 0.0001). Parents with adequate health literacy had improved asthma knowledge in the intervention group, but this was not significant.

Scarfi et al. 2009 [83]

To determine if providing an allergen skin test for asthma and its results during an ED visit would improve follow-up rates at an asthma clinic.

RCT

RCT

USA

77 children (2–12 years) who presented to the ED with an acute asthma exacerbation (control: n = 39, intervention: n = 38).

The intervention group was 2.6 times more likely to schedule and maintain their follow-up appointments at an asthma clinic.

Smith et al. 2006 [90]

To determine if providing asthma coaching and incentives would improve rates of follow-up care with a PCP.

RCT

RCT

USA

92 parents who presented to the ED with a child with an acute asthma exacerbation (control: n = 42, intervention: n = 50).

Following ED discharge, there were no differences in follow-up rates between intervention and control groups (22% vs. 23.8%, p = 0.99).

Sockrider et al. 2006 [89]

To test a tailored asthma management intervention to improve parent confidence and reduce return ED visits.

RCT

RCT

USA

464 parents with children (1–18 years) who presented to the ED with an acute asthma exacerbation (control: n = 201, intervention: n = 434).

Following ED discharge, the intervention group had higher confidence in preventing their child’s asthma symptoms (p = 0.05) and preventing symptoms from getting worse (p = 0.03). The intervention group also had significantly lower rates of return ED visits for intermittent asthma (odds ratio = 0.32, 95% CI 0.12–0.88).

Yin et al. 2008 [63]

To determine if the use of illustrated health literacy interventions helped decrease liquid medication dosing errors.

RCT

RCT

USA

245 children (30 days–8 years) and parents who were given a prescription for a liquid medication in the pediatric ED (control: n = 121, intervention: n = 124).

The intervention group had fewer daily dosing errors (0% vs. 15.1%, p = 0.007) and higher use of standardized dosing instrument for daily (93.5% vs. 71.7%, p = 0.008) and as-needed (93.7% vs.74.7%, p = 0.002) dosing.

Zorc et al. 2009 [85]

To develop and test a 3-part asthma intervention to improve rates of follow-up care.

RCT

RCT

USA

439 parents with an asthmatic child (1–18 years). Six participants were excluded, leaving 216 participants in the control group and 217 participants in the intervention group.

The intervention group was more likely to support and believe in the benefits of seeking follow-up care with a PCP, but there were no significant differences in follow-up care rates between groups.

  1. CI confidence interval, ED emergency department, MDIS metered-dose inhaler spacers, RCT randomized controlled trial, PCP primary care provider