Heather Hudson
Reno School of Medicine, USA
Title: The impact of bedside ultrasound on parent satisfaction in the paediatric emergency department
Biography
Biography: Heather Hudson
Abstract
Studies suggest the use of bedside ultrasound in the adult emergency department leads to higher patient satisfaction scores, but it is unknown if the same result occurs in the pediatric emergency department (PED). The primary objective of this study was to determine whether the use of bedside ultrasound results in higher parent satisfaction scores in the PED. This was a prospective cohort study, enrolling a convenience PED sample. Trained research assistants identified PED patients presenting with abdominal trauma, motor vehicle accidents, atraumatic abdominal pain, skin/soft tissue infection, or vomiting (n=279). After physician disposition, verbal assent was obtained from the patient’s parent, or legal guardian, to confirm voluntary participation. Prior to leaving, the assented parent was provided a survey characterizing their satisfaction with the care their child received in the PED. The research assistants also determined which patients had a bedside ultrasound performed (n=52). This analysis only includes cases when an emergency medicine resident was involved in the patient’s care. To minimize performance bias, providers who performed the ultrasounds were unaware of the nature of the study. In contrast with bedside ultrasound studies in the adult ED, our study found no difference in satisfaction scores of parents whose children received a bedside ultrasound compared to those whose children did not: mean score 9.48 out of 10 (95% CI 9.16 to 9.80) vs 9.55 out of 10 (95% CI 9.41 to 9.69), respectively. These results may indicate the high quality of care received by patients in this PED.