Milk and molasses enemas: clearing things up.

Introduction: We aimed to describe current nursing practice and clarify the safest and most effective dose of milk and molasses enemas used to relieve constipation in pediatric patients presenting to a suburban pediatric emergency department.

Methods: We surveyed emergency nurses about current practice in administration of milk and molasses enemas. In addition, we identified consecutive patients aged 2 to 17 years with a discharge diagnosis of constipation or abdominal pain between 2009 and 2012.

Accuracy of non-contact infrared thermometry versus rectal thermometry in young children evaluated in the emergency department for fever.

Objective: We evaluated the accuracy of a non-contact infrared thermometer compared with a rectal thermometer.

Methods: Two hundred patients, ages 1 month to 4 years, were included in the study. Each child underwent contemporaneous standard rectal thermometry and mid forehead non-contact infrared thermometry.