Table 1.

Characteristics of participating hospitals by geographical area

	North	Centre	South	Total
	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Type of hospital:
General	3 (27.3)	2 (40.0)	0 (0.0)	5 (26.3)
Pediatric/maternal and child	8 (72.7)	3 (60.0)	3 (100.0)	14 (73.7)
Academic hospital:
No	3 (27.3)	0 (0.0)	2 (66.7)	5 (26.3)
Yes	8 (72.7)	5 (100.0)	1 (33.3)	14 (73.7)
Clinical Research Hospital (IRCCS):
No	8 (72.7)	4 (80.0)	3 (100.0)	15 (78.9)
Yes	3 (27.3)	1 (20.0)	0 (0.0)	4 (21.0)
Type of pediatric emergency department:
Medical only	1 (9.1)	0 (0.0)	1 (33.3)	2 (10.5)
Medico-surgical or medico- traumatological	2 (18.2)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	2 (10.5)
Medico-surgical-traumatological (MST)	8 (72.7)	5 (100.0)	2 (66.7)	15 (78.9)
Short Stay Observation (SSO):
No	1 (9.1)	2 (40.0)	1 (33.3)	4 (21.0)
Yes	10 (90.9)	3 (60.0)	2 (66.7)	15 (78.9)
Triage carried out:
<24 h/day	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	2 (66.7)	2 (10.5)
24 h/day	11 (100.0)	5 (100.0)	1 (33.3)	17 (89.5)
Triage method:
First look only	1 (9.1)	1 (20.0)	1 (33.3)	3 (15.8)
Full assessment	10 (90.9)	4 (80.0)	2 (66.7)	16 (84.2)
Number of annual pediatric admissions (x 1000):
Mean (sd)	26.7 (10.9)	33.3 (15.9)	58.4 (43.6)	33.4 (21.6)
Physicians to admissions ratio (PR) (x 10000):
Mean (sd)	3.7 (1.9)	3.5 (1.6)	2.7 (1.4)	3.5 (1.7)
Nurses to admissions ratio (NR) (x 10000):
Mean (sd)	6.0 (1.9)	7.2 (1.2)	4 (0.3)	6 (1.8)