Over the past decade, overcrowding in emergency departments (ED) has become a serious problem in many developed countries. A recent international literature review reported that between 4.8% to 90% of ED patients were potentially non-urgent cases. This high number of non-urgent paediatric ED (PED) visits is a huge financial burden to families as well as to society, not just in financial terms, but in overcrowding and straining resources, and possibly affecting more immediate access to those who might need it for urgent medical care and attention.
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