Geographical disparities in emergency department presentations for acute respiratory infections and risk factors for presenting: a population-based cohort study of Western Australian children

IntroductionStudies examining acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in emergency department (EDs), particularly in rural and remote areas, are rare. This study aimed to examine the burden of ARIs among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children presenting to Western Australian (WA) EDs from 2002 to 2012.MethodUsing a retrospective population-based cohort study linking ED records to birth and perinatal records, we examined presentation rates for metropolitan, rural and remote Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children from 469 589 births. We used ED diagnosis information to categorise presentations into ARI groups and calculated age-specific rates. Negative binomial regression was used to investigate association between risk factors and frequency of ARI presentation.ResultsOverall, 26% of presentations were for ARIs. For Aboriginal children, the highest rates were for those aged