Referral patterns, delays, and equity in access to advanced paediatric emergency care in Vietnam.
Emily TreleavenToan Ngoc PhamDuy Ngoc LeTrevor N BrooksHai Thanh LeJ Colin PartridgePublished in: International journal for equity in health (2017)
The poorest children, who were more likely to enter care at lower-level facilities, were especially disadvantaged. While delays in entry to care were not predictive of acuity, children referred to tertiary care from lower-level facilities experienced worse outcomes. Improvements in triage, stabilization, and referral linkages at all levels should reduce within-system delays, increasing timely access to advanced emergency care for all children.