University of Utah
Compare the effectiveness of automatic vs as-needed (PRN) post-hospitalization follow-up for children who are hospitalized for common infections.
BACKGROUND: Automatic post-hospitalization follow-up visits are commonly recommended by hospital-based pediatricians. The intuitive appeal of automatic follow-up visits is that they might decrease hospital readmissions and promote continuity of care. However, automatic follow-up visits result in missed work for parents, missed school for children, and expenses like co-pays and transportation costs. The principal alternative strategy to automatic follow-up is PRN (pro re nata, "as-needed") follow-up, a patient and family-centered approach that empowers parents to monitor their child's symptoms…
Inclusion Criteria: * Age \<18 years at the time of randomization * Hospitalization due to a primary diagnosis of pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infection, acute gastroenteritis, or urinary tract infection. * Parent speaks English or Spanish. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of a comorbid disease that is both chronic and complex * Principal disease required surgical intervention (beyond superficial incision and drainage) * Immunodeficiency * A well-child check-up or post-hospitalization follow-up visit is already scheduled within 7 days of hospital discharge * Parent or participant strongly…
At hospital discharge, participant receives a recommendation for PRN follow-up. Recommendation informs participant that scheduling a follow-up visit is not needed at discharge and suggests that participant follow symptoms after discharge to decide if a visit is ultimately needed or not.
At hospital discharge, participant receives a recommendation for automatic follow-up. Recommendation instructs participant to schedule a follow-up visit and attend the visit even if symptoms get better.