Objective: Acute cough in children is a common reason for emergency department (ED) visits and impacts the quality of life (QOL) of patients and their families. Study objectives were to compare how parents/guardians (caregivers) versus providers rate the importance of asking QOL questions during an ED encounter for acute cough; and determine whether asking QOL questions is linked with parental satisfaction with the visit. Methods: This cross-sectional study sampled two groups: caregivers of pediatric patients presenting to an urban Pediatric ED; and physicians responding to an online survey. Results: We surveyed 150 caregivers (81% mothers and 13% fathers); two-thirds had children younger than three years old. Providers were also surveyed (61% female, 39% male), most worked in a pediatric ED (79%). Caregivers recalled being asked few or no QOL questions during the visit. Questions rated as more important by caregivers than by providers were: the index child’s loss of sleep (p<0.0001), school days missed (p<0.0014), and the caregiver’s coping strategies (p<0.0001). There was no relationship between caregiver satisfaction with the ED visit for their child with acute cough and being asked QOL questions during the visit. Conclusions: Caregivers rated highly the importance of being asked QOL questions during a pediatric ED visit for acute cough, especially loss of sleep for their child with cough, missed school days and their coping strategies for cough. Providers should be asking QOL questions as they are important to caregivers.