Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2007
Redefining the community pediatric hospitalist: the combined pediatric ED/inpatient unit.
The use of pediatric hospitalists in community hospitals has increased over the past decade in response to the desire to provide high-quality pediatric care. Many hospitals are challenged to create financially independent and productive programs. ⋯ Implementation of a combined PED/inpatient unit was associated with increased billing by hospitalists, increased satisfaction scores of ED patients, and decreased ED throughput times. Pediatric hospitalist programs that want to improve financial and patient outcomes in a community setting could consider adopting the combined unit approach.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2007
Computer modeling of patient flow in a pediatric emergency department using discrete event simulation.
Increasing patient census and department overcrowding are universal concerns in pediatric emergency medicine. Accurate predictions of patient flow and resource utilization in the pediatric emergency department (PED) are important in determining what aspects of PED activity could be modified to improve patient flow, reduce patient waiting times, and increase staff efficiency and morale, and thus direct change more effectively. ⋯ The PFM accurately represents patient flow through the department and can provide simulated patient flow information on a variety of scenarios. It can effectively simulate changes to the model and its effects on patient flow.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2007
High-fidelity medical simulation as an assessment tool for pediatric residents' airway management skills.
To evaluate high-fidelity medical simulation as an assessment tool for pediatric residents' ability to manage an acute airway. ⋯ Our data identified many areas of concern with resident skills in managing an airway. This project suggests that high-fidelity medical simulation can assess a resident's ability to manage an airway as well as a program's effectiveness in teaching the skills necessary to manage an acute pediatric airway.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2007
Review Case ReportsSydenham chorea: a case report and review of the literature.
Sydenham chorea (SC) is the neurological manifestation of rheumatic fever and is the most common acquired chorea in children. The disease presents as choreiform movements and behavioral changes after a streptoccocal throat infection. ⋯ We describe the case of a 9-year-old girl with SC. A discussion of the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of SC in the emergency department follows.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jan 2007
Emergency department management and short-term outcome of children with constipation.
Constipation is a common diagnosis made in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Specific evidence-based standards for evaluation and treatment are lacking. ⋯ Although older children are more likely to improve, many constipated children continue to have symptoms. Type of ED therapy is unrelated to on-going symptoms at 4 to 6 weeks.