Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2024
The Use of Medical Chaperones During Physical Examinations: The Perceptions of Adolescents and Their Caregivers.
A medical chaperone serves as a witness for a patient and health care practitioner during a medical examination. We sought to better understand the preferences of parents and children toward the use of chaperones during pediatric physical examinations. ⋯ Adolescents have significant differences in who they prefer to be in the room for the physical examination based on patient and provider sex in settings where they are unfamiliar with the health care examiner. Few patients and parents preferred a medical chaperone; most preferred a parent to be in the room. Patient and parent considerations should be prioritized when creating policies for the use of medical chaperones.
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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
ReviewPredictors for Dental Intervention in Children After Dental Injury: A Retrospective Analysis and Literature Review.
This study aimed to explore risk factors for dental intervention in patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED) after dental injury. ⋯ Alveolar fracture is a severe dental injury, requiring intervention, for primary and permanent teeth injuries. Tooth luxation with significant mobility or malocclusion, incomplete avulsion, a suspected root involvement, or facial bone injury in the primary teeth and tooth luxation (extrusive/lateral) and avulsion in the permanent teeth dictate urgent dental consultation and intervention. Clinical algorithms for dental injury management are suggested.
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Pediatric emergency care · May 2024
Factors Impacting Maltreatment Evaluation and Reports to Child Protective Services in Pediatric Substance Exposures.
The objective of this study was to assess demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors associated with pediatric substance exposures, describe the medical evaluation, and identify factors associated with social work (SW) and hospital-based child protection team (CPT) safety assessments and reports to child protective services (CPS). ⋯ There is significant variability in pediatric substance exposure assessment practices. Disparities based on demographic characteristics are uncommon. Perceived severity of condition, exposures involving recreational/illegal/illicit substances, and greater prevalence of family psychosocial adversities are associated with higher rates of SW/CPT assessment and CPS reports.
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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.