Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2013
Enhancing the Emergency Department Approach to Pediatric Sexual Assault Care: Implementation of a Pediatric Sexual Assault Response Team Program.
The objectives of this study were to describe the experience of a novel pediatric sexual assault response team (SART) program in the first 3 years of implementation and compare patient characteristics, evaluation, and treatment among subpopulations of patients. ⋯ In an effort to improve quality and consistency of acute sexual assault examinations in a pediatric ED, development of a SART program supported the majority of eligible patients undergoing forensic evidence collection. Furthermore, a substantial number of patients had evidence of injury on examination. These findings underscore the importance of having properly trained personnel to support ED care for pediatric victims of acute sexual assault.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2013
Case ReportsStepping outside the box: an adolescent with a new-onset seizure.
First-time seizures are frightening to children and their families, but the practice parameter recommends minimal evaluation in the emergency department (ED) for the child who presents in a neurologically normal state. We report a 12-year-old girl with seizure whose evaluation in the ED included a computed tomographic scan, largely because of parental anxiety. Computed tomography demonstrated a cerebral cavernous hemangioma or cavernoma. Because of the high recurrence risk of seizures with cavernomas, she was discharged from the ED with a prescription for an antiepileptic drug.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2013
Comparative StudyClinical Accuracy of Tympanic Thermometer and Noncontact Infrared Skin Thermometer in Pediatric Practice: An Alternative for Axillary Digital Thermometer.
The aim of this study was to compare the body temperature measurements of infrared tympanic and forehead noncontact thermometers with the axillary digital thermometer. ⋯ The results demonstrated that the infrared tympanic thermometer could be a good option in the measurement of fever in the pediatric population. The noncontact infrared thermometer is very useful for the screening of fever in the pediatric population, but it must be used with caution because it has a high value of bias.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2013
Case ReportsCocaine-induced dystonic reaction: an unlikely presentation of child neglect.
Child neglect can be difficult to recognize. Parental substance abuse may place a child at increased risk of neglect. ⋯ Pediatric emergency physicians should consider cocaine exposure when a child of any age presents with abnormal movements. Dystonic reaction is an uncommon, but reported, complication of cocaine exposure in the absence of other risk factors and may be the first presentation of child neglect.
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Pediatric emergency care · Sep 2013
Observational StudyParental Language and Dosing Errors After Discharge From the Pediatric Emergency Department.
Safe and effective care after discharge requires parental education in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Parent-provider communication may be more difficult with parents who have limited health literacy or English-language fluency. This study examined the relationship between language and discharge comprehension regarding medication dosing. ⋯ Current ED discharge communication results in a significant disparity between English- and Spanish-speaking parents' comprehension of a crucial aspect of medication safety. These differences were not explained purely by interpretation, suggesting that interventions to improve comprehension must address factors beyond language alone.