Provision of timely follow-up and understanding service demand for pediatric emergency department patients with a mental health concern: a quality improvement initiative.

Four hundred and thirty-one children were given a follow-up appointment.

The likelihood of achieving the target was associated with the day of week of emergency department presentation (p < 0.001), with a lower proportion of patients visiting the emergency department Wednesday through Friday receiving an appointment within 96 h.

At all sites, emergency department mental health volume varied by the day of the week and month (p < 0.001): Saturdays and Sundays and the months of July and August had the lowest volumes.