Prediction of clinical deterioration after admission from the pediatric emergency department.

Background: An ongoing threat to hospitalized patients is delayed recognition of clinical deterioration and its association with increased morbidity and mortality.

Objective: This study evaluated the ability of Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) clinicians to predict clinical deterioration of patients admitted from the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED). Clinical deterioration was defined as unanticipated transfer to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) within 12 h of PED-to-ward admission.