Minor head injury in children: evaluating written discharge advice provided by Scottish emergency departments.
Brain Inj
; 27(13-14): 1549-54, 2013.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24111538
OBJECTIVES: Emergency departments (EDs) routinely provide written information when a child with head injury (HI) is discharged home. This usually contains advice about recognizing signs of serious complications such as intracranial bleeding. This study evaluated the quality of discharge leaflets currently provided by Scottish emergency departments (EDs) by comparing them against written discharge advice recommended by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN). METHODS: All 35 EDs in Scotland which treat children were asked to send a copy of the advice leaflet provided when a child with HI is discharged. Leaflets were evaluated by awarding scores for the inclusion of specific aspects of health information as recommended by SIGN. The inclusion of serious warning symptoms (maximum 20 points) and other advice on observation and help-seeking (maximum 21 points) was assessed. RESULTS: 34 EDs provided leaflets. The median score for including serious warning symptoms was 10/20. The median score for including advice regarding observation and when to seek help was 6.5/21. Several leaflets contained unclear or contradictory advice. CONCLUSION: Many leaflets did not include important information recommended by SIGN guidelines. There was considerable variation in the quality and clarity of written discharge advice provided. This may reduce the ability of parents to recognize rare but serious complications. It is recommended that a standardized HI information leaflet based on SIGN guidelines be used across all Scottish EDs.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Folhetos
/
Alta do Paciente
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Educação de Pacientes como Assunto
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Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência
/
Traumatismos Craniocerebrais
Tipo de estudo:
Evaluation_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Child
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Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Infant
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article