Examining perceptions of a telemedicine network for pediatric emergency medicine: a mixed-methods pilot study.

Background: Use of telemedicine for healthcare delivery in the emergency department can increase access to specialized care for pediatric patients without direct access to a children's hospital. Currently, telemedicine is underused in this setting.

Objectives: This pilot research project aimed to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of a telemedicine program in delivering care to critically ill pediatric patients in the emergency department by exploring the experiences of parents/caregivers and physicians.

Clinical outcomes in obese and normal-weight children undergoing ultrasound for suspected appendicitis.

Background: Obesity constitutes an independent predictor for a nondiagnostic screening ultrasound (US) in suspected appendicitis. Furthermore, the imaging route consisting of the screening US with a second US if necessary has a significantly lower diagnostic accuracy in the obese children (83%) than their lean counterparts (93%). However, the effect of this association on clinical outcomes in the obese population is unknown.

Analgesia and sedation practices for incarcerated inguinal hernias in children.

In this study, the use of medications for analgesia and/or sedation for incarcerated inguinal hernia reductions in the emergency department was analyzed. A retrospective chart review was conducted for all patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department with incarcerated inguinal hernia from 2002 to 2005. A total of 99 children presented with incarcerated hernias during the study period.