Advances in Medical Education and Implications for the Pediatric Emergency Department.

The learning environment of the pediatric emergency department is composed of many layers that provide opportunity for intervention to improve the education of residents and medical students. Creating an intentional plan of targeted interventions at the levels of learner, teacher, and department can create a culture where education is highly regarded. This article briefly defines the learning environment and explores strategies for improving clinical teaching at these various levels through improved teacher-learner relationships, entrustment, and the implementation of teaching strategies that can be easily incorporated into the busy and time-stretched work of the pediatric emergency department.

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.