Predicting Adverse Outcomes for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Infections in Emergency Departments.

Objective: To assess the performance of a hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) severity score among children with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections and HUS by stratifying them according to their risk of adverse events. The score has not been previously evaluated in a North American acute care setting.

Study Design: We reviewed medical records of children <18 years old infected with STEC and treated in 1 of 38 participating emergency departments in North America between 2011 and 2015.

Emergency Department Prescribing Patterns for Pharyngitis in Children.

Pharyngitis is commonly diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) and accounts for substantial antibiotic burden in pediatrics. This study describes ED patterns of group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis diagnosis and antibiotic prescribing patterns. This was a secondary data analysis of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Antibiotic Prescribing for Viral Respiratory Infections in the Pediatric Emergency Department and Urgent Care.

Background: Viral acute respiratory tract infections (vARTI) are a frequent source of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. We describe the prevalence of antibiotic prescribing for vARTI in the pediatric emergency department (ED) and urgent care (UC) within a health system, and identify factors associated with overall and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing.

Methods: Retrospective chart review within a single pediatric referral health system.

Pediatric Exposures Reported to the Toxicology Investigators Consortium, 2010-2015.

Background And Objective: Poisoning is the leading cause of injury death in pediatric patients. Hospital and provider readiness, including pharmacy stocking, depends on reliable surveillance data describing local patterns of age-specific clinically significant exposures and the therapeutic modalities employed in their treatment. We aimed to characterize trends in clinically significant toxic exposures and their management.