According to a National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, "Children in the Emergency Department," most emergency room visits by children are unnecessary. A full 96 percent of emergency room visits resulted in children being treated and released instead of admitted to the hospital with a true emergency.
The Texas Tech Physicians Pediatric HealthLine is a service that provides parents with after-hour phone access to medical professionals. With this service, patients can call to speak to a licensed nurse to determine if the child’s health care needs need to be addressed at an emergency room or can be handled from home.
