Return visits to the paediatric emergency department

Objective To determine the rate of unplanned return visits (uRVs) within 48 h to a paediatric ED over a 12‐month period and describe the factors associated with these uRV. Methods Retrospective review of electronic data regarding the initial and follow‐up visit at a tertiary paediatric hospital ED in Western Australia. The primary outcome was the number of patients who presented for uRV within 48 h of their initial ED visit. Results Between August 2018 and July 2019, 2322 patients returned to the ED for a uRV comprising 3.4% of 68 352 ED presentations with more than 53% returning with infectious causes. Triage category 3 patients were most likely to represent (OR 1.11, P = 0.029) with 3‐month to 1‐year old (OR 1.37, P