Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of families about children emergency services and evaluotion of the applications to the pediatric emergency department

Aim: To determine the urgency of pediatric patients coming to the Emergency Service (ES), the parents 'knowledge about the child emergency, their satisfaction, the factors that affect the families'application to the ES and make recommendations. To determine the frequency of the families with children using the ES in the last year and their knowledge and attitudes towards emergency. Material and Method: It was conducted between 01.03.2018 -01.06.2020 in Diyarbakır Pediatric Diseases Hospital (DPDH) ES and Yenişehir Şehitlik Family Health Center (YŞFHC). The questionnaires were applied by the researcher for 2 months in the hospital and 4 months in the field. The research is a cross-sectional descriptive type and ethics committee approval (75 number dated 15.02.2018). Results: Only 4.1%of the children brought to the ES were found to be real emergencies. The most frequent factors affecting the ES; 61.2%of them were ill outside working hours, 27.5%of them were faster services in the ES. Parents'information about the ES; 60%of them were able to correctly answer the ambulance phone number, 25%of the normal fever of the children. Satisfaction situations; 90%said that the service provided in the ES was generally good. Almost all families with children took their children to the ES at least once a year. Parents had taken their children to the ES an average of 4.36 ± 2.35 times in the past year. Girls were taken to the ES 4.18 ± 2.36 times, and boys 4.63 ± 2.31 times in the past year. Children's attitudes towards emergency; 78.5%of the parents in the hospital; 92%in the field did not consult anyone before applying to the ES, 96.6%in the hospital; 85.5%in the field did not make any intervention without applying to the ES. Conclusion:95.9%of the patients coming to the ES were not real emergencies. Their health knowledge level is low and their satisfaction level is high. They are frequently used because the polyclinics are crowded, the appointment cannot be made, and they are quickly looked at in the ES. As the number of children increases, the age of children decreases and easy transportation, the frequency of application increases. A significant number of people did not consult and intervene before applying to the ES.