Safety/booster seats in pediatric motor vehicle crashes: Public health concern.

INTRODUCTION: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines recommend that children ≤12-years-old with height < 145 cm should use safety/booster seats. However, national adherence and clinical outcomes for eligible children involved in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are unknown. We hypothesized that children recommended to use safety/booster seats involved in MVCs have a lower rate of serious injuries if a safety/booster seat is used, compared to children without safety/booster seat. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study queried the 2017-2019 Trauma Quality Improvement Program database for patients ≤12-years-old and <145 cm (recommendation for use of safety/booster seat per American Academy of Pediatrics) presenting after MVC. Serious injury was defined by abbreviated injury scale grade ≥3 for any body-region. High-risk MVC was defined by authors in conjunction with definitions provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. RESULTS: From 8259 cases, 41% used a safety/booster seat. There was no difference in overall rate of serious traumatic injuries or mortality (both p > 0.05) between the safety/booster seat and no safety/booster seat groups. In a subset analysis of high-risk MVCs, the overall use of safety/booster seats was 56%. The rate of serious traumatic injury (53.6% vs. 62.1%, p = 0.017) and operative intervention (15.8% vs. 21.6%, p = 0.039) was lower in the safety/booster seat group compared to the no safety/booster seat group. CONCLUSIONS: Despite AAP guidelines, less than half of recommended children in our study population presenting to a trauma center after MVC used safety/booster seats. Pediatric patients involved in a high-risk MVC suffered more serious injuries and were more likely to require surgical intervention without a safety/booster seat. A public health program to increase adherence to safety/booster seat use within this population appears warranted.

Non-Accidental Trauma Associated with Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Medical Treatment in Severe Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury.

INTRODUCTION: In highly developed countries, as many as 16 percent of children are physically abused each year. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common injury in non-accidental trauma (NAT) and is responsible for 80 percent of fatal NAT cases, with most deaths occurring in children younger than three years old. Cases of abusers who refuse withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment (LSMT) to avoid criminal charges have previously been reported. Therefore, we hypothesized that NAT is associated with a lower risk for withdrawal LSMT in pediatric TBI. METHODS: The pediatric Trauma Quality Improvement Program database was analyzed (2014 to 2016) for patients aged 16 and younger with TBI and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 8 and lower on admission. Patients with a head Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) of 2 or less or who died within 48 hours were excluded. A multivariable logistic regression model was used for analysis. RESULTS: Of 2,209 TBI patients, 92 (4.2 percent) had withdrawal of LSMT. Compared to those without withdrawal of LMST, those with LMST had statistically similar median age (three years of age versus seven years) and a higher rate of NAT (33.7 percent versus 13.5 percent). The most common specified perpetrator was a father/stepfather/male partner (70 percent). After adjusting for covariates, factors associated with higher risk for withdrawal of LSMT included age of less than three years (OR 2.38, CI 1.34-4.23) and NAT (OR 1.86, CI 1.02-3.41). CONCLUSION: NAT is associated with increased risk for withdrawal of LSMT in pediatric TBI. Age of less than three years is similarly associated with a higher risk for withdrawal of LSMT. Future research in this population is needed to determine what other factors predict withdrawal of LSMT and what resources, such as social workers and/or ethics consults, are utilized.

How do patient-provider relationship continuity, gender, and language affect pediatric HPV vaccine acceptance?

Increasing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake remains a challenge. We compared reasons for HPV vaccine acceptance between two Southern California pediatric clinics serving diverse populations: an academically affiliated resident clinic that offered little continuity of care (n = 53) and a private-practice clinic with well-established physician-patient relationships (n = 200). We found strong doctor recommendation and information dissemination about the importance of HPV vaccination were the most important drivers of acceptance across these distinct settings. The top-cited reasons for vaccine acceptance also varied by gender, language (English vs. Spanish), and clinic type. Findings point to the need for (1) robust provider education on vaccines, vaccine-preventable diseases, and vaccine hesitancy and (2) increased efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of HPV vaccination.

Evaluation of Early Versus Late Postdischarge Medication Reconciliation on Readmission Rates and Emergency Department Visits.

BACKGROUND: The current literature speculates ideal postdischarge follow-up focusing on transitions from hospital to home can range anywhere between 48 hours and 2 weeks. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the optimal timing of follow-up visit to prevent readmissions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of early (<48 hours) versus late (48 hours-14 days) postdischarge medication reconciliation on readmissions and emergency department (ED) use. METHODS: In this retrospective study, data for patients who had a clinic visit with a primary care provider (PCP), clinical pharmacist, or both for postdischarge medication reconciliation were reviewed. Primary outcome included hospital use rate at 30 days. Secondary outcomes included hospital use rate at 90 days and hospital use rate with a postdischarge PCP follow-up visit, clinical pharmacist, or both at 30 days. RESULTS: One hundred sixty patients were included in the analysis: 31 early group patients and 129 late group patients. There was no significant difference on hospital use at 30 days in patients who received early or late groups (32.3% vs 21.8%, P = .947). There was also no significant difference on hospital use at 90 days in patients in early versus late group (51.6% vs 50.3%, P = .842). The type of provider (PCP vs pharmacists) conducting postdischarge medication reconciliation did not show significance on hospital use at 30 days (19.9% vs 21.4%, P = .731). CONCLUSION: Results from this study suggest patients can be seen up to 14 days postdischarge for medication reconciliation with no significant difference on hospital use.

Integralidade como uma dimensao da pratica assistencial do enfermeiro no acolhimento mãe-bebe / Integralidad como una dimensión de la práctica asistencial del enfermero en el acogimiento madre-bebé / Integrality as a dimension of nursing practice in mother-baby welcoming

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the practice of integrality in mother-baby welcoming in the context of primary health care. METHODS: It is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected from medical records of children treated by nurses in a primary care unit in Rio de Janeiro, in the years 2009 and 2011, with 421 and 275 records, respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that, in both years, more than70% of the mothers were between 20 and 35 years old and that, in 2011, there was a significant increase in cesarean births records, children with physiological jaundice and the number of women that were exclusively breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that comprehensive child careactions constitute one of the dimensions of nursing practice in primary health care and contribute to improve the quality of life of the clients.

Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a prática da integralidade no acolhimento mãe-bebê no contexto da atenção primária à saúde. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo transversal do tipo descritivo. Os dados foram coletados em prontuários de crianças atendidas por enfermeiras em uma unidade básica de saúde do Rio de Janeiro, nos anos de 2009 e 2011, com 421 e 275 registros, respectivamente. Os resultados mostraram que em ambos os anos mais de 70% das mães atendidas tinham idade entre 20 e 35 anos e que em 2011 houve um aumento significativo de registros de partos cesáreos, de crianças com icterícia fisiológica e da adesão das mulheres à prática do aleitamento materno exclusivo. Concluiu-se que as ações voltadas para a integralidade do cuidado à criança constituem uma das dimensões da prática do enfermeiro na atenção primária à saúde e contribuem para a melhoria da qualidade de vida da clientela atendida.

OBJETIVO: Analizar la práctica de la integralidad en el acogimiento madre-bebé en el contexto de la atención primaria a la salud. MÉTODOS: Estudio descriptivo, transversal. Los datos fueron colectados en prontuarios de niños atendidos por enfermeras en una unidad básica de salud en Rio de Janeiro, en los años de 2009 y 2011, siendo 421 y 275 registros, respectivamente. Los resultados mostraron que más de 70% de las madres atendidas poseían edad entre 20 a 35 años en ambos los años: en 2011, hubo un aumento significativo de registros de partos cesáreos, de niños con ictericia fisiológica y de la adhesión de las mujeres a la práctica del amamantamiento exclusivo. CONCLUSIÓN: Se concluyó que la integralidad constituye en una de las dimensiones de la práctica del enfermero en la atención primaria a la salud del niño y contribuyen para la mejoría de la cualidad de vida de los clientes atendidos.