Seriously injured children wait longer at the emergency room if they are brought by their parents instead of by an ambulance, research shows

Research shows that seriously injured children have to wait longer at the emergency room if they are brought in by their parents instead of by an ambulance.

The research from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children found that those taken to hospital by carers typically waited an hour before being seen by emergency doctors, rather than immediately if they were there blue-lit.

Among them were children with broken bones and skull fractures.

Researchers looked at young people under the age of 16 who were taken to the emergency department by caregivers between August 2020 and May 2022, without using emergency services.

During this time, 153 children with major trauma were seen.

Little girl with mother during an operation examination. The study found that those taken to hospital by carers typically waited an hour before being seen by emergency doctors, rather than immediately if they were there blue-lit

A patient is wheeled out of an ambulance parked outside the emergency department at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on January 6, 2015 in Gloucester, England

Little boy sits in the waiting room of a hospital. The time it takes to be seen for children under 16 years old brought to the emergency department ranges from three to 168 minutes, according to findings presented today at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Denmark

Of these, 24 of them had injuries serious enough to be added to the national Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN), but none received care from the major trauma team.

The average age of the children was over six.

The wait time to be seen ranged from three to 168 minutes, according to findings presented today at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Denmark.

Dr. Robert Hirst, emergency medicine registrar at the hospital who led the study, said: ‘We see many injured children being taken to pediatric emergency departments every year.

‘Most are transported by ambulance, resulting in pre-hospital emergency services alerting the emergency department in advance of their arrival.

‘This leads to early activation of the trauma team, ensuring specialist services and resources are ready to see these patients as soon as they arrive.

‘However, we know that there is a group of children brought by their caregivers who are not receiving this rapid activation of resources.

‘This can lead to delays in the appropriate level of care.’