Comparing nurse practitioners/physician assistants and physicians in diagnosing pediatric abdominal pain for ESI level 3 patients seen in the emergency department.

Background: Accuracy of emergency department (ED) diagnosis affects care management including tests, discharges, and readmissions.

Purpose: This retrospective study compared nurse practitioners/physician assistants (NPs/PAs) with physicians (MDs/DOs) on accuracy of diagnosing Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level 3 pediatric abdominal pain (AP) in the ED. Abdominal pain unrelated to trauma is a common ED pediatric visit.

Child maltreatment: interventions to improve recognition and reporting.

Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem and described as one of the greatest threats facing the health, welfare, and social well-being of children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).

Children at risk of maltreatment: identification and intervention in the emergency department.

Child maltreatment is a leading cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality, described as one of the greatest threats facing the health, welfare, and social well-being of children in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).