AI-Assisted Discharge Documents for Children and Families in a Pediatric Emergency Department

This study compared two ways of preparing discharge documents for children and families leaving a pediatric emergency department. In the usual workflow, information from the electronic health record was assembled into a fixed document template. In the alternative workflow, ERIOS Assistant, an artificial intelligence system hosted within the hospital, drafted documents for health professionals and for families or children. A clinician reviewed and validated the documents before they were handed to the family in both workflows. According to the completed study report, assignment concerned document production after the decision to discharge and did not determine diagnosis, treatment or disposition. Families were contacted by telephone after discharge to assess how their account of the care and instructions agreed with the medical record, as well as their perceived understanding, satisfaction and use of the documents. The protocol also planned assessment of document quality, readability, clinician experience, usability and human supervision. This study is being registered retrospectively after the randomized component was completed.

Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion Criteria in the Supplied Protocol: * Younger than 18 years and attending the pediatric emergency department of Montpellier University Hospital. * Anticipated discharge home. * A legal representative present and able to respond to the study. * An emergency physician participating in the protocol and trained to use ERIOS Assistant. * ERIOS Assistant infrastructure operational at inclusion. Exclusion Criteria: * Hospital admission. * Transfer within or between institutions. * Life-threatening emergency. * Refusal to participate (described as refusal of consent in the eligibility list; the inclusion procedure specifies information and non-opposition). * No means of contact. * A clinical situation making data collection inappropriate, at the clinician's discretion. * A planned change of legal representative at day 1. Additional Operational Restrictions Reported in the Completed Study: * Psychiatric emergencies. * Social emergencies. * Families not speaking French. The completed study report states that randomization occurred after the decision to discharge home. The protocol used anticipated home discharge in its eligibility criteria. These differences are disclosed in this retrospective registration rather than silently combined into an amended initial protocol.