Emergency admissions of children and young people to hospital
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the flow of zero day admissions to hospital: data linkage to inform priorities for future intervention along paediatric referral pathways
IRAS ID
264153
Contact name
Steve Turner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 31 days
Research summary
The frequency of zero day hospital admissions, defined as being admitted and discharged from hospital on the same day, are increasing in the paediatric population. Current evidence suggests that some zero day hospital admissions of children may be safely avoided. In the first phase of this research, our project team will use routinely collected quantitative data from NHS24, general practitioners and accident and emergency departments to identify various settings where zero day admissions are prevalent and where they might be avoided. We have termed these as ‘referral pathways’. For example, one referral pathway may include children less than 12 months of age with a chest infection who have been assessed by an out-of-hours medical team. Separate permissions are already in place to undertake this part of the research. The next phase of the project will use qualitative case studies to explore some of the referral pathways. We will work in partnership with children, families and NHS professionals to learn more about their experiences and perspectives associated with the referral pathways to prioritise the next step in developing interventions to safely reduce paediatric zero day hospital admissions.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
19/NS/0134
Date of REC Opinion
3 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion