Care-giving and Care-seeking Behaviours of Parents Who Take

Objective: This study explored the care-giving and care-seeking behaviours of parents who took their children to the emergency department (ED) of a large urban hospital in Western Canada for non-urgent care. Method: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 114 parents during a two-week period in January 1992, using a self-administered 53-item questionnaire. The data were analyzed using nonparametric statistics (Chi-square) and thematic content analysis. Results: Eighty-two percent of parents were unsure of or overestimated the seriousness of their child’s illness or injury. Prior to attending the ED, 40 % of parents administered com-fort measures and 45 % gave medications. Only 17 % of parents used at-home reading materials, while 31 % sought lay advice. Fifty-eight percent of parents did not try to contact their family physician or the ED by telephone before coming to the ED. Forty-eight percent of parents who phoned their family physician were unable to obtain advice, and those who did were almost always referred to the ED. Eighty-eight percent of those who phoned the ED were instructed to bring the child to the ED