Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2024
Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Knowledge Among Female Adolescents Presenting to a Pediatric Emergency Department.
The objective of this study was to assess awareness and use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) among female adolescents presenting to a pediatric emergency department (PED). ⋯ Knowledge about LARC remains low in our PED, despite it being the most effective method of contraception. Even when interventions were made to link interested respondents to outpatient women's health services, follow-up attendance was poor, and no patients obtained LARC. There is a significant discrepancy between the consensus standard of contraception care across all relevant medical specialties and current utilization by high-risk populations. Future efforts must focus on how to close this gap, and the ED could be pivotal for improving both reproductive health education and intervention among adolescent patients.
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2024
Outcome of Emergency Blood Transfusion in Children Seen at a Tertiary Children's Hospital in Freetown: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.
This study sought to describe the prevalence and clinical outcome after emergency blood transfusion among children presenting with severe anemia in a tertiary children's hospital in Sierra Leone. ⋯ The study suggests that emergency blood transfusion in children with severe anemia may improve in-hospital survival.
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2024
Observational StudyPrevalence of Low-Acuity Pediatric Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Transports to a Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) in an Urban Area.
Many patients transported by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) do not have emergent resource needs. Estimates for the proportion of pediatric EMS calls for low-acuity complaints, and thus potential candidates for alternative dispositions, vary widely and are often based on physician judgment. A more accurate reference standard should include patient assessments, interventions, and dispositions. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of low-acuity pediatric EMS calls in an urban area. ⋯ One third of pediatric patients transported to the pediatric emergency department by EMS in this urban area are for low-acuity complaints. Further research is needed to determine low-acuity rates in other jurisdictions and whether EMS providers can accurately identify low-acuity patients to develop alternative EMS disposition programs for children.
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2024
Evaluation of Pediatric Readiness Using Simulation in General Emergency Departments in a Medically Underserved Region.
Regionalization of pediatric care in the United States was developed to improve care by directing patients to hospitals with optimal pediatric resources and experience, leading to less pediatric-trained providers in medically underserved areas. Children with emergencies, however, continue to present to local general emergency departments (GEDs), where pediatric emergencies are low-frequency, high-risk events. ⋯ This study shows a significant disparity in the performance and readiness of GEDs versus a PED in a medically underserved area. More education and better access to resources is needed in these areas to adequately care for critically ill pediatric patients.
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2024
National Survey on the Emergency Department Management of Febrile Infants 29 to 60 Days Old With an Abnormal Urinalysis.
Recent clinical practice guidelines recommend that decisions regarding lumbar puncture (LP) for febrile infants older than 28 days should no longer be based on urinalysis results, but rather independently determined by inflammatory markers and sometimes guided by shared decision-making (SDM). This study sought to assess management decisions for febrile infants aged 29 to 60 days with an abnormal urinalysis. ⋯ Knowledge translation initiatives reflecting current evidence should target use of inflammatory markers rather than urinalysis results to guide decisions regarding LP. Efforts emphasizing outpatient management with oral antibiotics and SDM for low-risk infants with an abnormal urinalysis could also further align management with current evidence and guidelines.