Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 2024
Using the Electronic Health Record to Implement Expedited Partner Therapy in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
Expedited partner therapy (EPT) is a partner treatment strategy for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including gonorrhea and chlamydia as well as trichomoniasis in some states. The process allows healthcare providers to write prescriptions for STI treatment among partners of infected patients without a previous medical evaluation. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended EPT as a useful option to facilitate partner treatment, particularly male partners of women with chlamydia or gonorrhea infections. Our institution implemented EPT in 2016 after Ohio legislation was passed to authorize its use. We aim to describe the implementation process and descriptive outcomes of EPT adoption in a pediatric emergency department. ⋯ The use of the electronic health record provides a platform for implementation of EPT. Our study highlights a potential strategy for increasing treatments of STIs through EPT prescribing in the emergency department setting.
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 2024
Observational StudyValidation of the Emergency Department Work Index in a Pediatric Freestanding Community Emergency Department.
The Emergency Department Work Index (EDWIN) is a validated overcrowding score shown to correlate well with staff assessment of adult emergency department (ED) overcrowding and the potential need for diversion. It derives from the number of staffed ED beds, attending physicians on duty, patients within each triage category, and admitted patients. To date, no study has validated EDWIN in a pediatric community ED setting. We aim to determine if EDWIN correlates with established overcrowding measures and provider perception of overcrowding within a freestanding, community-based pediatric ED. ⋯ Our findings suggest that EDWIN is an accurate tool to measure overcrowding in a freestanding, community-based pediatric ED.
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 2024
Comparative StudySafety and Depth of Sedation With Ketamine Alone Versus Ketamine With Midazolam in Pediatric Fracture Reduction: A Retrospective Chart Review.
Pediatric patients with extremity fractures often require sedation for fracture reduction in the pediatric emergency department (PED). Although orthopedic literature suggests combination sedation regimens may be more effective for fracture reduction, some pediatric literature suggests adverse events are more frequent. The primary objective of this study is to determine the comparable depth of sedation and incidence of adverse events when intravenous ketamine is used alone versus with midazolam for pediatric procedural sedation and orthopedic fracture reduction. ⋯ This study showed a low rate of adverse events in pediatric sedation for orthopedic reduction with ketamine alone or ketamine with midazolam. There was an increased occurrence of hypoxia with coadministration of midazolam and an increase in the length of sedation. This study showed no difference in depth of sedation based on Ramsay scores when midazolam was coadministered. Information on the orthopedic reduction and provider satisfaction was not collected.
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 2024
Case ReportsPoint-of-Care Ultrasound for Pediatric Vaginal Obstruction in the Emergency Department: A Case Series.
Point-of-care ultrasound can be an effective tool to facilitate the evaluation of abdominal and pelvic pain in children. We present a series of 3 pediatric patients with nonspecific abdominal and pelvic symptoms in whom point-of-care ultrasound expedited diagnosis, guided decision-making, prompted subspecialist consultation, and led to definitive management of vaginal obstruction.
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 2024
Caregiver Intent and Willingness to Accept COVID-19 Vaccine in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
While COVID-19 vaccine (CV) acceptance is improving, little is known about parental acceptance of CV in the pediatric emergency department (PED). ⋯ CV acceptance was low in this cohort. A gap population of unvaccinated children whose caregivers intend to vaccinate exists, and many of these would accept CV in the ED. This data supports the presence of CV programs in the ED to close this gap.