Clinical pediatrics
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Clinical pediatrics · Jun 2010
Fever phobia: a survey of caregivers of children seen in a pediatric emergency department.
Fever continues to be the most common complaint of children seen in a Pediatric Emergency Department (PED). Previous studies have assessed the prevalence of fever phobia in various populations. This study aims to document the incidence of fever phobia in a PED. ⋯ Fever phobia and inappropriate treatment for febrile children is present among caregivers of patients seen in a PED. Level of education may be a factor in fever knowledge and practices. Overly zealous, potentially harmful home practices and unnecessary PED visits for the assessment and treatment of fever in children is widespread among caregivers surveyed in the PED.
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Clinical pediatrics · Jun 2010
Comparative StudyAre serial brain imaging scans required for children who have suffered acute intracranial injury secondary to blunt head trauma?
In most instances, infants and children with moderate to severe head trauma undergo a head computed tomography (CT) scan as part of their initial evaluation. Several authors have advocated a routine second head CT after traumatic brain injury (TBI) to identify progressive lesions that may require surgical intervention. However, recent studies have challenged the need for a routine second brain imaging study after TBI. ⋯ Compared with children who did not require an intervention following their second scan, children who received an intervention were more likely to have been subjected to nonaccidental trauma and to have presented to the ED more than 4 hours after the injury. Most children with intracranial injury following blunt trauma who did not require immediate neurosurgical intervention but instead underwent a follow-up brain imaging study did not require subsequent unplanned neurosurgical intervention. Serial brain imaging may not be required for all children with intracranial injury.
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Clinical pediatrics · Jun 2010
Parental satisfaction and the ability to recall the physician's name.
During urgent care visits, families may not see their regular physician and may not even recall the name of their provider. The authors conducted a cross-sectional parental satisfaction survey at pediatric ambulatory clinics to assess whether parent recall of their treating physician's name is associated with parental satisfaction. ⋯ In urgent care clinics, not being able to recall the treating physician's name is associated with dissatisfaction. Although there are many factors associated with satisfaction that are not in the physician's control, there may be simple actions associated with improved satisfaction that physicians can implement, such as clearly introducing themselves and making sure parents remember their name.