Feasibility of text message follow-up for pediatric asthma care after an emergency department visit.

Many children seen in the Emergency Department (ED) for asthma do not follow-up with their primary care provider. Text messaging via short message service (SMS) is a ubiquitous, but untested means of providing post-ED asthma follow-up care. To evaluate responses to an asthma assessment survey via SMS following an ED visit and estimate the likelihood of response by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Pediatric spinal epidural abscess: recognition and management in the emergency department.

Although rare in children, spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rapidly progressive clinical entity that can lead to irreversible neurologic damage if untreated. The rarity and variability in presentation can lead to initial misdiagnosis. Diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion and is often delayed until neurologic deficits are present.

Children with under-diagnosed asthma presenting to a pediatric emergency department.

Background: Undiagnosed asthma in children presenting to the emergency department (ED) for respiratory illnesses might be associated with subsequent asthma morbidity and repeat ED visits.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of undiagnosed asthma among children presenting for ED care, and explore associations with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: We surveyed parents of children ages 2-17 years seeking ED care for respiratory symptoms (including asthma) regarding sociodemographic characteristics, asthma symptoms, prior asthma care and morbidity, and prior asthma diagnosis.

Use of a validated asthma questionnaire to increase inhaled corticosteroid prescribing in the pediatric emergency department.

Background: Asthma guidelines recommend assessment of asthma control and treatment with an ICS when appropriate. Children seen for asthma in the ED often have poorly controlled asthma. Validated questionnaires are rarely used in the ED and ICS are prescribed at less than 5% of ED asthma encounters, leaving many children at risk for continued poor outcomes.

Inhaled corticosteroid beliefs, complementary and alternative medicine in children presenting to the emergency department for asthma.

Objective: Negative beliefs about inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and endorsement of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have been associated with medication non-adherence and uncontrolled asthma. The association of CAM and negative health beliefs is not described in children in acute care settings. Our study objective is to determine the relationship between negative ICS beliefs, CAM use and poorly controlled asthma among a predominantly Latino population in an acute care setting.

Parental preferences for survey mode of administration, interview versus self-administered, with an asthma management questionnaire.

National asthma guidelines encourage use of patient surveys to aid clinical assessment. Little is known about how these should be administered in acute care settings such as the emergency department (ED). Evaluate if parents have a preference for interview versus self-administered surveys in an ED, understand the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics by choice of survey mode of administration, and assess if there is a difference by mode in the parent's perception of an asthma management tool.

Parent Perceptions of a Validated Asthma Questionnaire in the Emergency Department.

Objective: While a number asthma questionnaires have been validated, most have not been used in an emergency department (ED) setting, nor evaluated patient feedback or clinical benefit. We sought to evaluate parent feedback on an asthma questionnaire used in an ED setting.

Methods: We recruited parents of children 2-17 years old presenting to a tertiary pediatric ED for asthma care.