Emergency Department Use and Care in American Indian Children
Principal Investigator: Susan Puumala, PhD
Many AI children use hospital and clinic emergency departments (ED). Not much research has been done on this topic. The little that exists suggests that AI children increasingly use the ED and increasingly leave the ED without receiving care, or the right kind of care. This study will increase the understanding of patterns of ED use and care for AI children in the Upper Midwest. It will also develop interventions.
AIMS
Aim 1: To assess the patterns of utilization and care among AI children in the Upper Midwest.
Aim 2: Develop an understanding of community attitudes towards ED use by AI children who reside within the Upper Midwest.
Aim 3: To develop and pilot test novel strategies to target institutional and community practices to improve ED utilization and care for AI children.
Project Publications
Zook, H. G., Kharbanda, A. B., Flood, A., Harmon, B., Puumala, S. E., & Payne, N. R. (2016). Racial Differences in Pediatric Emergency Department Triage Scores. J Emerg Med, 50(5), 720-727. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2015.02.056
Puumala, S. E., Burgess, K. M., Kharbanda, A. B., Zook, H. G., Castille, D. M., Pickner, W. J., & Payne, N. R. (2016). The Role of Bias by Emergency Department Providers in Care for American Indian Children. Med Care, 54(6), 562-569. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000533
Pickner, W. J., Puumala, S. E., Chaudhary, K. R., Burgess, K. M., Payne, N. R., & Kharbanda, A. B. (2016). Emergency Department Utilization for Mental Health in American Indian Children. J Pediatr, 174, 226-231 e223. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.03.064