Are routine pelvic radiographs in major pediatric blunt trauma necessary?

Background: Screening pelvic radiographs to rule out pelvic fractures are routinely used for the initial evaluation of pediatric blunt trauma. Recently, the utility of routine pelvic radiographs in certain subsets of patients with blunt trauma has been questioned. There is a growing amount of evidence that shows the clinical exam is reliable enough to obviate the need for routine screening pelvic radiographs in children.

"Family plan"--multiple-patient visits from the same family to an inner-city pediatric emergency department.

Objectives: The issue of multiple family members presenting to the emergency department (ED) for care during a single visit is unique to pediatric EDs (PEDs). The epidemiology of such multiple-patient visits (MPVs) has not been well characterized. The aims of this study were to describe patient characteristics, Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage categories, length of stay, ED disposition, and payer characteristics of such MPV and to compare these characteristics to that of the overall ED visits (OEVs).

Awareness and utilization of emergency medical services by limited English proficient caregivers of pediatric patients.

Background: Previous studies have shown that limited-English-proficient (LEP) patients are less likely to utilize health care services. Objective. To assess the knowledge and perceived barriers to utilization of emergency medical services (EMS) by LEP caregivers of children served by an urban EMS system.

Bioterrorism: Evaluating the preparedness of pediatricians in Michigan.

Objective: There is a paucity of literature in the United States regarding preparedness for a bioterrorist attack on children. The main objective of this study was to assess the self-reported level of bioterrorism preparedness of pediatricians practicing in Michigan.

Methods: We conducted a survey that was mailed to 1000 pediatricians practicing in Michigan from July through December 2006.

Patient and family-centred care for pediatric patients in the emergency department.

Patient and family-centred care (PFCC) is an approach to health care that recognizes the integral role of the family and encourages mutually beneficial collaboration between the patient, family and health care professionals. Specific to the pediatric population, the literature indicates that the majority of families wish to be present for all aspects of their child's care and be involved in medical decision-making. Families who are provided with PFCC are more satisfied with their care.