Arch Pediat Adol Med
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Arch Pediat Adol Med · Dec 1998
Comparative StudyEvaluation of head injury in a pediatric emergency department: pretrauma and posttrauma system.
To determine if trauma center protocols affect the number of tests and consultations performed and the length of time spent in the emergency department or hospital. ⋯ Application of trauma system protocols to isolated head injury patient evaluation results in increased use of laboratory and radiologic services. These practices have the potential to increase the cost of medical care without significantly improving outcome.
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Arch Pediat Adol Med · Dec 1998
Minor head injury in children: current management practices of pediatricians, emergency physicians, and family physicians.
To describe variation in the clinical management of minor head trauma in children among primary care and emergency physicians. ⋯ Most physicians surveyed chose clinic or home observation for initial management of minor pediatric head trauma. Clinical management was more varied when patients had sustained either loss of consciousness or seizures. Further study of the appropriate management of minor head trauma in children is needed to guide physicians in their care.
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Arch Pediat Adol Med · Nov 1998
Pediatricians' experience with and attitudes toward complementary/alternative medicine.
To assess (1) pediatricians' attitudes toward and practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their patients; (2) their knowledge, experience, and referral patterns for selected CAM therapies; and (3) their desire for continuing medical education courses on CAM therapies. ⋯ A majority of pediatricians sampled believed a small percentage of their patients were seeking alternatives to conventional medicine. Half would consider referring patients for CAM, and most were interested in continuing medical education courses on CAM. Larger studies surveying pediatricians, along with more education and research on CAM therapies, need to be considered for the future.
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To develop a computer-based teaching program using a hospital health care system to instruct pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents (MPR) in pediatric emergency medicine, and to determine residents' participation, interest, and benefit from the project over 3 years' time. ⋯ Pediatric residents and MPR do participate in a daily e-mailed question/answer format of teaching, but prefer to do so passively, by reading daily questions only, rather than actively, by sending answers to an e-mail box. This format provides medical education that is uniform, accommodates residents' varying schedules, and is a useful adjunct to other teaching methods.
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Latinos will soon be the largest minority group in the United States, but too little is known about major access barriers to health care for this group and whether these barriers result in adverse consequences. ⋯ Parents identified language problems, cultural differences, poverty, lack of health insurance, transportation difficulties, and long waiting times as the major access barriers to health care for Latino children. Language problems can result in adverse health consequences for some children, including poor medical care, misdiagnosis, and inappropriate medication and hospitalization. Low family income is an important independent risk factor among Latino children for suboptimal health and high utilization of health services.