Examining the relationship between emergency room visits of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and access to services and family financial hardship: 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs

Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities have substantial ongoing medical needs, requiring utilization of emergency care resources. Using the cross-sectional data from the 2005-2006 National Survey for Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN), we examined factors that may contribute to the reduction of emergency room (ER) visits for families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The 2005-2006 NS-CSHCN is a nationally representative telephone health care survey of 40,723 children with special health care needs (CSHCN) aged 17 years or younger. In the exploration of access to health care services and family financial hardship experienced by families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, the main findings were parents of children with higher frequency of ER visits were more than 3 times as likely to report child bodily difficulties and child's need for mobility aids or devices, medical supplies, and durable medical equipment. In addition, parents of children with more ER visits were twice as likely to report financial difficulties with regards to work stoppage and additional income needs. Findings suggest that children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families who report more ER visits have more significant physical disabilities, confront significant financial hardships, and do not receive adequate health care and assistive technology services that contribute and support the health and well-being of entire family. Future policies will need to focus on optimization of health care services provision and family support that meet the comprehensive needs of families that will lead to the reduction of ER visits.