Background
: This study is carried out to see if there is any difference in the family function of children-patients between those hospitalized through the emergency room where immediate treatments are available anytime and those hospitalized through the outpatient department where they have to wait for available doctors and the treatment is given only during the office hours

Methods : The family function and family environment of children-patients who had been hospitalized at the Kwangju Christian Hospital from May through July were evaluated by Family APGAR and FACES Ⅲ. Diseases of children in each group were also comparatively evaluated and one-to-one correspondences were mode between the two groups. Then 82 children were respectively selected from each group and the two groups were compared by T-test and chi-square test in terms of SPSS.

Results : There were no differences in general characteristics of children of both groups, and in both groups the number of boys was bigger than that of girls. As to the clinical characteristics, chief complaints of the study group were dominated by fever, respiratory difficulties, and convulsive attacks, while they were dominated by coughing in the control group. When it comes to the manifestation period of major symptoms before hospitalization, the study group took 4.5±0.52 days and the control group 7.9±0.81 days with the former showing showing short enough, in terms of statistical significance, period(p<0.01). But on sifgificant differences were found in the duration of hospitalization between the two groups. In the comparison of family functions, the study group showed 6.8±0.28 points on family Apgar score, 24.8±0.19 points on adaptability, and 33.9±0.8 points on cohesion, whereas the control group showed 6.9±0.26 points on family APGAR score, 24.9±0.67 points on adaptability, and 34.0±0.79 points on cohesion, showing no significant differences between the two groups. As to the family type, the Mid-ranged type was dominant in both groups-51 children(62.2%) in the study group and 44 children(33.7%) in the control group.

Conclusion : There is no significant difference in the family function of children patients hospitalized through emergency room and those hospitalized through the outpatient department.