Citation

Phonpruk K, Flowers K, Naughton G, Fulbrook P. J. Child Health Care 2019; ePub(ePub): 1367493519852460.

Affiliation

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1367493519852460

PMID

31154813

Abstract

The aim of this study was to profile the information and readability of parent-focused resources to support care at home following a child's discharge from a paediatric emergency department (ED). Analysis included recording the scope, source, readability scores and benchmarking the contents against previous recommendations for discharge information. Information from 46 resources (on 41 conditions) from three separate sources was analysed. Overall, a wide range of resources were available. Inconsistency was evident in the framework and design of resources available. Approximately two-thirds of resources provided information about referral to community resources, and most had links to community health providers. Assessment of readability levels showed a predominant pitch towards a relatively high level of schooling. Existing written resources available for parents to use in caring for their child's following discharge from an ED could improve with more streamlined designs as well as consistent references to community resources and additional health providers. Parents with low reading capacity may not be able to make the most of existing resources to care for their child at home following ED discharge. This framework was developed for reviewing the resources that could be useful for quality assuring other parent-focussed discharge information.

Language: en

Keywords

Child health; discharge; emergency care; home care; parents