The Outcomes of Emergency Admissions and Associated Factors Among Children Admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Unit at Selected Public Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A pediatric emergency condition is a life-threatening process that, without timely and standard clinical intervention, may lead to death. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the outcomes of emergency admissions and associated factors among children admitted to the pediatric emergency of selected public hospitals. METHODS: An institutional-based retrospective cross-sectional study design was conducted on children admitted to the emergency unit/ward from January 02, 2020, to January 08, 2022, in the emergency units of randomly selected public hospitals. Data were extracted with prepared checklists from February 1 to March 1, 2022. RESULT: A total of 303 admitted children’s charts were reviewed with 100% coverage. The mean age of children was 37.47 months, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.16:1. The study revealed that the most common causes of emergency admission were pneumonia (22.4%), surgical emergencies (14.5%), and late-onset sepsis (9.2%), respectively. More than half (53.8%) of children were admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Department for less than 24 hours, and the mean length of stay was 2 days. 39.6% of children were discharged with clinical improvement. Known comorbidity (AOR=4.65, 95% CI (1.23-17.64)) and length of stay less than 24 hours (AOR=4.2, 95% CI (1.2-14.7)) were strongly associated with the outcome. CONCLUSION: Pneumonia is still the most common cause of pediatric emergency admission, and the mortality rate of children at the Pediatric Emergency Department is high, with known comorbidity showing a significant association with mortality. FMOH recommended developing national pediatric emergency care guidelines and providing skill gap training for healthcare workers.