Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
Practice Guideline Multicenter StudyCroup management in Australia and New Zealand: a PREDICT study of physician practice and clinical practice guidelines.
Comparison of clinical practice guideline (CPG) recommendations and reported physician management of croup at PREDICT (Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative) sites as baseline for planned randomized controlled trials. ⋯ Croup management at PREDICT emergency departments is similar, based on oral steroids and nebulized adrenaline. The steroid and adrenaline regimens used by respondents and their CPGs were not consistent. This reflects limitations of available evidence for management of this common disease, highlighting the need for definitive trials, particularly in the management of mild croup.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparing the frequency of unrecognized attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in injured versus noninjured patients presenting for care in the pediatric emergency department.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common pediatric mental health problems but often goes unrecognized. Children with ADHD have an increased risk of injuries. Whether injured children presenting to the emergency department (ED) have an increased frequency of unrecognized ADHD symptoms compared to noninjured children is not known. ⋯ Children presenting with injuries are no more likely than a noninjured age- and sex-matched group to have unrecognized ADHD based on parental screen. Targeting injured children for ADHD screening is not supported by this study.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
ReviewPediatric disaster preparedness: best planning for the worst-case scenario.
Natural and man-made disasters are unpredictable but certainly will include children as victims. Increasingly, knowledge of pediatric disaster preparedness is required of emergency and primary care practitioners. A complete pediatric disaster plan comprises the following elements: appropriate personnel and equipment, disaster- and venue-specific training, and family preparedness. ⋯ Exercise content depends on local hazard vulnerabilities and learner training needs. Postexercise evaluations follow a stepwise process that culminates in improved disaster plans. This article will review disaster planning and the design, implementation, and evaluation of pediatric disaster exercises.
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Pediatric emergency care · Jul 2008
ReviewChildren's mental health emergencies--part 2: emergency department evaluation and treatment of children with mental health disorders.
The emergency physician should be familiar with the wide spectrum of pediatric mental health emergencies because they are commonly encountered in emergency medical practice. ⋯ The actions and directions taken in the ED are a crucial part of the child's long-term care and treatment. The ED evaluation and management of pediatric mental health emergencies may vary depending on the complaint and includes differentiation from organic etiologies, medical stabilization, and occasionally in depth psychosocial interview.