Grant: Prize - IHDCYH Talks

With more than 2.3 million visits annually in Canada, the emergency department (ED) care of children results in considerable costs for families, health systems and society. Many visits are for minor conditions that could be more aptly treated in other settings or at home. In fact, 1 in 5 of the children who visit the ED but are not admitted to hospital, did not need to visit the ED. Ensuring that the best available research informs parents' decisions of when to seek health care can reduce health care use and high rates of hospitalization. Failure to apply the best available research evidence in health care, otherwise known as knowledge translation (KT) implement is pervasive in child health, even for common acute pediatric conditions such as croup. Characterized by a distinctive barking cough, inspiratory stridor and often severe respiratory distress, croup is a common respiratory tract illness occurring in children less than six years of age. Croup is among the three most common reasons for pre-school children to visit an Emergency Department (ED). Research has highlighted that many children with croup continue to not receive optimal treatment. Through previous research we demonstrated the need for innovative, research-informed, knowledge tools for parents. Through connecting with over 1000 Canadian parents, we learned that parents urgently wanted more information about their child's illness, the treatments that will be given to their children and how they would care for their child after they leave the ED. This animation whiteboard - merging the best available research evidence with the power of story and art has the potential to yield large dividends for Canadian families with a child with croup through optimized health service utilization while simultaneously informing and empowering parents.