Emergency Department Presentations by Children in Remote Australia: A Population-based Study
File version
Version of Record (VoR)
Author(s)
Fitzpatrick, EFM
Glass, K
Douglas, K
Watkins, R
Oscar, J
Carter, M
Harley, D
Jeffery, HE
Elliott, EJ
Martiniuk, ALC
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract
Background. Aboriginal leaders invited us to examine the frequency and reasons for emergency department (ED) presentations by children in remote Western Australia, where Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) is common. Methods. ED presentations (2007-11 inclusive) were examined for all children born in the Fitzroy Valley in 2002-03. Results. ED data for 127/134 (94.7%) children (95% Aboriginal) showed 1058 presentations over 5-years. Most (81%) had at least 1 presentation (median 9.0, range 1-50). Common presentations included: screening/follow-up/social reasons (16.0%), injury (15.1%), diseases of the ear (14.9%), skin (13.8%), respiratory tract (13.4%), and infectious and parasitic diseases (9.8%). PAE and higher presentations rates were associated. Commonly associated socio-economic factors were household over-crowding, financial and food insecurity. Conclusion. Children in very remote Fitzroy Crossing communities have high rates of preventable ED presentations, especially those with PAE. Support for culturally appropriate preventative programs and improved access to primary health services need to be provided in remote Australia.
Journal Title
Global Pediatric Health
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
8
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
© The Author(s) 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Public health
Health geography
Emergency medicine
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Dossetor, PJ; Fitzpatrick, EFM; Glass, K; Douglas, K; Watkins, R; Oscar, J; Carter, M; Harley, D; Jeffery, HE; Elliott, EJ; Martiniuk, ALC, Emergency Department Presentations by Children in Remote Australia: A Population-based Study, Global Pediatric Health, 2021, 8, pp. 1-11