Deliberate Practice as an Effective Method for Reducing Diagnostic Error in Identifying Burn and Bruise Injuries Suspicious for an Abusive Injury.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effectiveness of an education intervention for reducing physician diagnostic error in identifying pediatric burn and bruise injuries suspicious for abuse, and to determine case-specific variables associated with an increased risk of diagnostic error. STUDY DESIGN: This was a multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of pediatricians and other front-line physicians who treat acutely injured children in the United States and Canada were eligible for participation. Using a web-based education and assessment platform, physicians deliberately practiced with a spectrum of 300 pediatric burn and bruise injury image-based cases. Participants were asked if there was a suspicion for abuse present or absent, were given corrective feedback after every case, and received summative diagnostic performance overall (accuracy), suspicion for abuse present (sensitivity), and absent (specificity). RESULT: Of the 93/137 (67.9%) physicians who completed all 300 cases, there was a significant reduction in diagnostic error (initial 16.7%, final 1.6%; delta -15.1%; 95% CI 13.5, 16.7), sensitivity error (initial 11.9%, final 0.7%; delta -11.2%; 95% CI 9.8, 12.5), and specificity error (initial 23.3%, final 6.6%; delta -16.7%; 95% CI 14.8, 18.6). Based on 35,627 case interpretations, variables associated with diagnostic error included patient age, sex, skin color, mechanism of injury, and size and pattern of injury. CONCLUSION: The education intervention substantially reduced diagnostic error in differentiating the presence versus absence of a suspicion for abuse in children with burn and bruise injuries. Several case-based variables were associated with diagnostic error, and these data can be used to close specific skill gaps in this clinical domain.

Competency Standard Derivation for Point-of-Care Ultrasound Image Interpretation for Emergency Physicians.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Because number-based standards are increasingly controversial, the objective of this study was to derive a performance-based competency standard for the image interpretation task of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). METHODS: This was a prospective study. Operating on a clinically-relevant sample of POCUS images, we adapted the Ebel standard-setting method to derive a performance benchmark in 4 diverse pediatric POCUS applications: soft tissue, lung, cardiac and focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST). In Phase I (difficulty calibration), cases were categorized into interpretation difficulty terciles (easy, intermediate, hard) using emergency physician-derived data. In Phase II (significance), a 4-person expert panel categorized cases as low, medium, or high clinical significance. In Phase III (standard setting), a 3x3 matrix was created, categorizing cases by difficulty and significance, and a 6-member panel determined acceptable accuracy for each of the 9 cells. An overall competency standard was derived from the weighted sum. RESULTS: We obtained data from 379 emergency physicians resulting in 67,093 interpretations and a median of 184 (interquartile range, 154, 190) interpretations per case. There were 78 (19.5%) easy, 272 (68.0%) medium, and 50 (12.5%) hard-to-interpret cases, and 237 (59.3%) low, 65 (16.3%) medium, and 98 (24.5%) cases of high clinical significance across the 4 POCUS applications. The panel determined an overall performance-based competency score of 85.0% for lung, 89.5% for cardiac, 90.5% for soft tissue, and 92.7% for FAST. CONCLUSION: This research provides a transparent chain of evidence that derived clinically relevant competency standards for POCUS image interpretation.

Paediatric post-concussive symptoms: symptom clusters and clinical phenotypes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the co-occurrence and clustering of post-concussive symptoms in children, and to identify distinct patient phenotypes based on symptom type and severity. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the prospective, multicentre Predicting and Preventing Post-concussive Problems in Pediatrics (5P) cohort study, evaluating children 5-17 years of age presenting within 48 hours of an acute concussion. Our primary outcome was the simultaneous occurrence of two or more persistent post-concussive symptoms on the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory at 28 days post-injury. Analyses of symptom and patient clusters were performed using hierarchical cluster analyses of symptom severity ratings. RESULTS: 3063 patients from the parent 5P study were included. Median age was 12.1 years (IQR: 9.2-14.6 years), and 1857 (60.6%) were male. Fatigue was the most common persistent symptom (21.7%), with headache the most commonly reported co-occurring symptom among patients with fatigue (55%; 363/662). Headache was common in children reporting any of the 12 other symptoms (range: 54%-72%). Physical symptoms occurred in two distinct clusters: vestibular-ocular and headache. Emotional and cognitive symptoms occurred together more frequently and with higher severity than physical symptoms. Fatigue was more strongly associated with cognitive and emotional symptoms than physical symptoms. We identified five patient groups (resolved/minimal, mild, moderate, severe and profound) based on symptom type and severity. CONCLUSION: Post-concussive symptoms in children occur in distinct clusters, facilitating the identification of distinct patient phenotypes based on symptom type and severity. Care of children post-concussion must be comprehensive, with systems designed to identify and treat distinct post-concussion phenotypes.

A Target Population Derived Method for Developing a Competency Standard in Radiograph Interpretation.

CONSTRUCT: For assessing the skill of visual diagnosis such as radiograph interpretation, competency standards are often developed in an ad hoc method, with a poorly delineated connection to the target clinical population. BACKGROUND: Commonly used methods to assess for competency in radiograph interpretation are subjective and potentially biased due to a small sample size of cases, subjective evaluations, or include an expert-generated case-mix versus a representative sample from the clinical field. Further, while digital platforms are available to assess radiograph interpretation skill against an objective standard, they have not adopted a data-driven competency standard which informs educators and the public that a physician has achieved adequate mastery to enter practice where they will be making high-stakes clinical decisions. APPROACH: Operating on a purposeful sample of radiographs drawn from the clinical domain, we adapted the Ebel Method, an established standard setting method, to ascertain a defensible, clinically relevant mastery learning competency standard for the skill of radiograph interpretation as a model for deriving competency thresholds in visual diagnosis. Using a previously established digital platform, emergency physicians interpreted pediatric musculoskeletal extremity radiographs. Using one-parameter item response theory, these data were used to categorize radiographs by interpretation difficulty terciles (i.e. easy, intermediate, hard). A panel of emergency physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and plastic surgeons rated each radiograph with respect to clinical significance (low, medium, high). These data were then used to create a three-by-three matrix where radiographic diagnoses were categorized by interpretation difficulty and significance. Subsequently, a multidisciplinary panel that included medical and parent stakeholders determined acceptable accuracy for each of the nine cells. An overall competency standard was derived from the weighted sum. Finally, to examine consequences of implementing this standard, we reported on the types of diagnostic errors that may occur by adhering to the derived competency standard. FINDINGS: To determine radiograph interpretation difficulty scores, 244 emergency physicians interpreted 1,835 pediatric musculoskeletal extremity radiographs. Analyses of these data demonstrated that the median interpretation difficulty rating of the radiographs was -1.8 logits (IQR -4.1, 3.2), with a significant difference of difficulty across body regions (p < 0.0001). Physician review classified the radiographs as 1,055 (57.8%) as low, 424 (23.1%) medium or 356 (19.1%) high clinical significance. The multidisciplinary panel suggested a range of acceptable scores between cells in the three-by-three table of 76% to 95% and the sum of equal-weighted scores resulted in an overall performance-based competency score of 85.5% accuracy. Of the 14.5% diagnostic interpretation errors that may occur at the bedside if this competency standard were implemented, 9.8% would be in radiographs of low-clinical significance, while 2.5% and 2.3% would be in radiographs of medium or high clinical significance, respectively. CONCLUSION(S): This study's novel integration of radiograph selection and a standard setting method could be used to empirically drive evidence-based competency standard for radiograph interpretation and can serve as a model for deriving competency thresholds for clinical tasks emphasizing visual diagnosis.

Pediatric Musculoskeletal Radiographs: Anatomy and Fractures Prone to Diagnostic Error Among Emergency Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric musculoskeletal (pMSK) radiograph interpretations are common, but the specific radiograph features at risk of incorrect diagnosis are relatively unknown. OBJECTIVE: We determined the radiograph factors that resulted in diagnostic interpretation challenges for emergency physicians (EPs) reviewing pMSK radiographs. METHODS: EPs interpreted 1850 pMSK radiographs via a web-based platform and we derived interpretation difficulty scores for each radiograph in 13 body regions using one-parameter item response theory. We compared the difficulty scores by presence or absence of a fracture and, where applicable, by fracture location and morphology; significance was adjusted for multiple comparisons. An expert panel reviewed the 65 most commonly misdiagnosed fracture-negative radiographs to identify imaging features mistaken for fractures. RESULTS: We included data from 244 EPs, which resulted in 185,653 unique interpretations. For elbow, forearm, wrist, femur, knee, and tibia-fibula radiographs, those without a fracture had higher interpretation difficulty scores relative to those with a fracture; the opposite was true for the hand, pelvis, foot, and ankle radiographs (p < 0.004 for all comparisons). The descriptive review demonstrated that specific normal anatomy, overlapping bones, and external artefact from muscle or skin folds were often mistaken for fractures. There was a significant difference in difficulty score by anatomic locations of the fracture in the elbow, pelvis, and ankle (p < 0.004 for all comparisons). Ankle and elbow growth plate, fibular avulsion, and humerus condylar fractures were more difficult to diagnose than other fracture patterns (p < 0.004 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: We identified actionable learning opportunities in pMSK radiograph interpretation for EPs.

Management of Toddler's Fracture: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: In studies that included children diagnosed with toddler's fractures (TFs), we determined the fracture-related adverse outcomes in those treated with immobilization versus no immobilization. Furthermore, we compared health services utilization between these 2 immobilization strategies. METHODS: A search was done on Ovid MEDLINE(R), Embase Classic + Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials along with reference lists as conference proceedings and abstracts. No language or publication status or location restrictions were used. All study steps, including the methodological quality assessment, were conducted independently and in duplicate by 2 authors. RESULTS: Of the 490 references identified, 4 retrospective studies of low quality met inclusion criteria and collectively included 355 study participants. With respect to fracture-related adverse outcomes, there was no risk difference [0; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.09 to 0.09] between the immobilization and no immobilization treatment strategies. Furthermore, in the immobilization versus no immobilization groups, there was a higher mean difference in the number of radiographs (0.69; 95% CI, 0.15-1.23) and scheduled outpatient orthopedic visits (0.96; 95% CI, 0.24-1.68), but a decreased relative risk (0.41; 95% CI, 0.05-3.19) of repeat emergency department visits. No data were reported on patient pain or caregiver satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: In children with TF, this study suggests that no immobilization may be a safe alternative to immobilization for this minor fracture; however, high-quality evidence is needed to optimally inform clinical decision making. Future work should include validated measures of patient recovery, pain, and caregiver perspectives when comparing treatment strategies for this injury.

Learning Pediatric Point-of-Care Ultrasound: How Many Cases Does Mastery of Image Interpretation Take?

OBJECTIVES: Using an education and assessment tool, we examined the number of cases necessary to achieve a performance benchmark in image interpretation of pediatric soft tissue, cardiac, lung, and focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) applications. We also determined interpretation difficulty scores to derive which cases provided the greatest diagnostic challenges. METHODS: Pediatric emergency physicians participated in web-based pediatric POCUS courses sponsored by their institution as a credentialing priority. Participants deliberately practiced cases until they achieved diagnostic interpretation scores of combined 90% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: Of the 463 who enrolled, 379 (81.9%) completed cases. The median (interquartile range) number of cases required to achieve the performance benchmark for soft tissue was 94 (68-128); cardiac, 128 (86-201); lung, 87 (25-118); and FAST, 93 (68-133) (P < 0001). Specifically, cases completed to achieve benchmark were higher for cardiac relative to other applications (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). In soft tissue cases, a foreign body was more difficult to diagnose than cobblestoning and hypoechoic collections (P = 0.036). Poor cardiac function and abnormal ventricles were more difficult to interpret with accuracy than normal (P < 0.0001) or pericardial effusion cases (P = 0.01). The absence of lung sliding was significantly more difficult to interpret than normal lung cases (P = 0.028). The interpretation difficulty of various FAST imaging findings was not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant variation in number of cases required to reach a performance benchmark. We also identified the specific applications and imaging findings that demonstrated the greatest diagnostic challenges. These data may inform future credentialing guidelines and POCUS learning interventions.

Symptom Burden, School Function, and Physical Activity One Year Following Pediatric Concussion.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize symptom burden, school function, and physical activity in youth 1 year following acute concussion and those with subsequent repeat concussion. STUDY DESIGN: Secondary analysis of Predicting Persistent Postconcussive Problems in Pediatrics prospective, multicenter cohort study conducted in 9 Canadian emergency departments. Participants were children between ages 5 and 18 years who presented consecutively ≤48 hours of concussion and agreed to participate in a post hoc electronic survey 1 year after injury. Outcomes were assessed using a standardized 25-question symptom scale derived from the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory-Parent; school function and physical activity outcomes were queried. The primary outcome was total symptom score 1 year following concussion, defined as the number of symptoms experienced more than before injury. RESULTS: Of 3052 youth enrolled in the Predicting Persistent Postconcussive Problems in Pediatrics study, 432 (median [IQR] age, 11.5 [9,14] years; 266 [62%] male) completed the 1-year survey; 34 respondents reported a repeat concussion. Following acute concussion, youth were more likely to be symptom-free than following repeat concussion (75% vs 50%; difference = 25% [95% CI 8-41]; P = .002) and to have recovered fully (90% vs 74%; difference = 17% [95% CI 5-34]; P = .002) after 1 year. Although physical symptoms were less 1 year after initial emergency department presentation for both groups (P < .001), youth with a repeat concussion reported greater headache persistence (26% vs 13%; difference = 13% [95% CI 1,31]; P = .024). Both groups returned to their normal school routine (100% vs 95%; difference = 5% [95% CI -5 to 8; P = .618). Youth without repeat concussion more frequently returned to normal physical activities (98% vs 85%; difference = 13% [95% CI 4-28]; P < .0001) and sport (95% vs 82%; difference = 13% [95% CI 3-29]; P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Most youth are symptom-free and fully recovered 1 year following concussion. Some children with repeat concussion have worse outcomes and have delays in returning to normal school routines and sport.

Home Management Versus Primary Care Physician Follow-up of Patients With Distal Radius Buckle Fractures: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: In patients with a distal radius buckle fracture, we determine whether home removal of a splint and physician follow-up as needed (home management) is noninferior to primary care physician follow-up in 1 to 2 weeks with respect to functional recovery. We also compare groups with respect to health care and patient-level costs. METHODS: This was a noninferiority randomized controlled trial conducted at a tertiary care children's hospital. Eligible patients were randomized to home management versus primary care physician follow-up and received telephone contact at 3 and 6 weeks after the index ED visit. Functional recovery was measured with the Activities Scale for Kids-performance, and participants reported wrist-injury-related health care interventions and expenses. The primary outcome was a comparison of the performance score between groups at 3 weeks. RESULTS: We enrolled 149 patients with mean age 9.5 years (SD 2.7 years), and 81 (54.4%) were male patients. Of the 133 patients (89.3%) with completed 3-week follow-up, the mean Activities Scale for Kids-performance score was 95.4% in the home management group (n=66) and 95.9% in the primary care physician follow-up group (n=67) (mean difference -0.4%; lower bound of the 95% confidence interval -2.4%). There was a mean costs savings of -$100.10 (95% confidence interval -$130.0 to -$70.20) in health care and -$28.2 (95% confidence interval -$49.6 to -$7.0) in patient costs in the home management versus primary care physician follow-up group. CONCLUSION: In patients with distal radius buckle fractures, home management is at least as good as primary care physician follow-up with respect to functional recovery. Implementation of the home management strategy also demonstrated significant cost savings.

Child Abuse Recognition Training for Prehospital Providers Using Deliberate Practice.

BACKGROUND: In most states, prehospital professionals (PHPs) are mandated reporters of suspected abuse but cite a lack of training as a challenge to recognizing and reporting physical abuse. We developed a learning platform for the visual diagnosis of pediatric abusive versus non-abusive burn and bruise injuries and examined the amount and rate of skill acquisition. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study of PHPs participating in an online educational intervention containing 114 case vignettes. PHPs indicated whether they believed a case was concerning for abuse and would report a case to child protection services. Participants received feedback after submitting a response, permitting deliberate practice of the cases. We describe learning curves, overall accuracy, sensitivity (diagnosis of abusive injuries) and specificity (diagnosis of non-abusive injuries) to determine the amount of learning. We performed multivariable regression analysis to identify specific demographic and case variables associated with a correct case interpretation. After completing the educational intervention, PHPs completed a self-efficacy survey on perceived gains in their ability to recognize cutaneous signs of abuse and report to social services. RESULTS: We enrolled 253 PHPs who completed all the cases; 158 (63.6%) emergency medical technicians (EMT), 95 (36.4%) advanced EMT and paramedics. Learning curves demonstrated that, with one exception, there was an increase in learning for participants throughout the educational intervention. Mean diagnostic accuracy increased by 4.9% (95% CI 3.2, 6.7), and the mean final diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 82.1%, 75.4%, and 85.2%, respectively. There was an increased odds of getting a case correct for bruise versus burn cases (OR = 1.4; 95% CI 1.3, 1.5); if the PHP was an Advanced EMT/Paramedic (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.1, 1.4) ; and, if the learner indicated prior training in child abuse (OR = 1.2; 95% CI 1.0, 1.3). Learners indicated increased comfort in knowing which cases should be reported and interpreting exams in children with cutaneous injuries with a median Likert score of 5 out of 6 (IQR 5, 6). CONCLUSION: An online module utilizing deliberate practice led to measurable skill improvement among PHPs for differentiating abusive from non-abusive burn and bruise injuries.

Persistent ventilation inhomogeneity after an acute exacerbation in preschool children with recurrent wheezing.

BACKGROUND: Preschool children with recurrent wheezing suffer high morbidity. It is unclear whether objective measures of asthma control, such as pulmonary function tests (PFTs), provide additional information to the clinical assessment. METHODS: We recruited children between 3 and 6 years old, with a history of recurrent wheezing in the preceding year and treated for acute wheezing exacerbation in the emergency department (ED) into an observational cohort study. Children attended two outpatient visits: the first study visit within five days of discharge from the ED and the second study visit 12 weeks after the ED visit. We performed standardized symptom score (test for respiratory and asthma control in kids (TRACK)), multiple breath washout (MBW), spirometry, and clinical assessment at both visits. RESULTS: Seventy-four children, mean (standard deviation (SD)) age of 4.32 years (0.84), attended both visits. Paired FEV0.75 and lung clearance index (LCI) measurements at both time points were obtained in 37 and 34 subjects, respectively. Feasibility for all tests improved at visit 2 and was not age-dependent. At the second study visit, a third had controlled asthma based on the TRACK score, and the mean lung clearance index (LCI) improved from 9.86 to 8.31 (P = .003); however, 46% had an LCI in the abnormal range. FEV0.75 z-score improved from -1.66 to -1.17 (P = .05) but remained in the abnormal range in 24%. LCI was abnormal in more than half of the children with "well-controlled" asthma based on the TRACK score. There was no correlation between PFT measures and TRACK scores at either visit. CONCLUSIONS: Lung clearance index demonstrates a persistent deficit post-exacerbation in a large proportion of preschoolers with recurrent wheezing, highlighting that symptom scores alone may not suffice for monitoring these children.

A think-aloud study to inform the design of radiograph interpretation practice.

Models for diagnostic reasoning in radiology have been based on the observed behaviors of experienced radiologists but have not directly focused on the thought processes of novices as they improve their accuracy of image interpretation. By collecting think-aloud verbal reports, the current study was designed to investigate differences in specific thought processes between medical students (novices) as they learn and radiologists (experts), so that we can better design future instructional environments. Seven medical students and four physicians with radiology training were asked to interpret and diagnose pediatric elbow radiographs where fracture is suspected. After reporting their diagnosis of a case, they were given immediate feedback. Participants were asked to verbalize their thoughts while completing the diagnosis and while they reflected on the provided feedback. The protocol analysis of their verbalizations showed that participants used some combination of four processes to interpret the case: gestalt interpretation, purposeful search, rule application, and reasoning from a prior case. All types of processes except reasoning from a prior case were applied significantly more frequently by experts. Further, gestalt interpretation was used with higher frequency in abnormal cases while purposeful search was used more often for normal cases. Our assessment of processes could help guide the design of instructional environments with well-curated image banks and analytics to facilitate the novice's journey to expertise in image interpretation.

Early versus delayed emergency department presentation following mild Traumatic Brain Injury and the presence of symptom at 1, 4 and 12 weeks in children.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the association between timing of presentation and postconcussive symptoms (PCS) at 1, 4 and 12 weeks after injury. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study conducted in nine Canadian paediatric EDs in 2013-2015 (5P study). Participants were children who suffered a head injury within the preceding 48 hours and met Zurich consensus concussion diagnostic criteria. The exposure was the time between head injury and ED presentation. The primary outcome was the presence of PCS at 1 week defined by the presence of at least three symptoms on the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI). Secondary outcomes evaluated PCS at 4 and 12 weeks. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were adjusted for ED PCSI and other potential confounders. RESULTS: There were 3041 patients with a concussion in which timing of the injury was known. 2287 (75%) participants sought care in the first 12 hours, 388 (13%) 12-24 hours after trauma and 366 (12%) between 24 and 48 hours. Compared with children who sought care >24 hours after trauma, children who sought care in the first 12 hours had a significantly lower incidence of PCS at 1 week (OR: 0.55 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.75)) and 4 weeks (OR: 0.74 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.99)) but not at 12 weeks (OR: 0.88 (95% CI 0.63 to 1.23)). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who present early after a concussion appear to have a shorter duration of PCS than those presenting more than 12 hours later. Patients/families should be informed of the higher probability of PCS in children with delayed presentation.

Predicting Wellness After Pediatric Concussion.

OBJECTIVE: Concussion in children and adolescents is a prevalent problem with implications for subsequent physical, cognitive, behavioral, and psychological functioning, as well as quality of life. While these consequences warrant attention, most concussed children recover well. This study aimed to determine what pre-injury, demographic, and injury-related factors are associated with optimal outcome ("wellness") after pediatric concussion. METHOD: A total of 311 children 6-18 years of age with concussion participated in a longitudinal, prospective cohort study. Pre-morbid conditions and acute injury variables, including post-concussive symptoms (PCS) and cognitive screening (Standardized Assessment of Concussion, SAC), were collected in the emergency department, and a neuropsychological assessment was performed at 4 and 12 weeks post-injury. Wellness, defined by the absence of PCS and cognitive inefficiency and the presence of good quality of life, was the main outcome. Stepwise logistic regression was performed using 19 predictor variables. RESULTS: 41.5% and 52.2% of participants were classified as being well at 4 and 12 weeks post-injury, respectively. The final model indicated that children who were younger, who sustained sports/recreational injuries (vs. other types), who did not have a history of developmental problems, and who had better acute working memory (SAC concentration score) were significantly more likely to be well. CONCLUSIONS: Determining the variables associated with wellness after pediatric concussion has the potential to clarify which children are likely to show optimal recovery. Future work focusing on wellness and concussion should include appropriate control groups and document more extensively pre-injury and injury-related factors that could additionally contribute to wellness. (JINS, 2019, 25, 375-389).

Multicentre, randomised clinical trial of paediatric concussion assessment of rest and exertion (PedCARE): a study to determine when to resume physical activities following concussion in children.

INTRODUCTION: Rest until symptom-free, followed by a progressive stepwise return to activities, is often prescribed in the management of paediatric concussions. Recent evidence suggests prolonged rest may hinder recovery, and early resumption of physical activity may be associated with more rapid recovery postconcussion. The primary objective is to determine whether the early reintroduction of non-contact physical activity beginning 72 hours postinjury reduces postconcussive symptoms at 2 weeks in children following an acute concussion as compared with a rest until asymptomatic protocol. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is a randomised clinical trial across three Canadian academic paediatric emergency departments. A total of 350 participants, aged 10-17.99 years, who present within 48 hours of an acute concussion, will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the study intervention protocol (resumption of physical activity 72 hours postconcussion even if experiencing symptoms) or physical rest until fully asymptomatic. Participants will document their daily physical and cognitive activities. Follow-up questionnaires will be completed at 1, 2 and 4 weeks postinjury. Compliance with the intervention will be measured using an accelerometer (24 hours/day for 14 days). Symptoms will be measured using the validated Health and Behaviour Inventory. A linear multivariable model, adjusting for site and prognostically important covariates, will be tested to determine differences between groups. The proposed protocol adheres to the RCT-CONSORT guidelines. DISCUSSION: This trial will determine if early resumption of non-contact physical activity following concussion reduces the burden of concussion and will provide healthcare professionals with the evidence by which to recommend the best timing of reintroducing physical activities. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Trial identifier (Clinicaltrials.gov) NCT02893969.

The effect of testing and feedback on the forgetting curves for radiograph interpretation skills.

Objectives: Forgetting curves plot skill decay over time. After exposure to a simulation-based radiograph interpretation learning system, we determined the rate of learning decay and how this was impacted by testing (with and without feedback). Further, we examined the association of initial learning parameters on the forgetting curve. Methods: This was a multicenter, four-arm randomized control trial. Medical trainees completed 80 elbow radiographs and a 20-case post-test. Group 1 had no testing until 12 months; Groups 2-4 had testing every 2 months until 12 months. At 6 months, Group 3 testing was feedback-enhanced, while Group 4 had feedback-enhanced testing at 2, 6, and 10 months. Results: There were 106 participants (n = 42 Group 1; n = 22 Groups 2 and 3; n = 20 Group 4). Group 1 showed an -8.1% learning decay at 12-months relative to other groups. In Groups 2, 3, and 4, there was no significant learning decay (+0.8%), and there were no differences in skill decay between these groups. Initial score and learning curve slope were predictive of retained skill. Conclusions: Learning decay was mitigated by exposure to 20 test cases (with and without feedback) every two months. Initial learning parameters predicted learning retention and may inform refresher education scheduling.

Predicting Fatigue 12 Months after Child Traumatic Brain Injury: Child Factors and Postinjury Symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: Fatigue is a common and persisting symptom after childhood brain injury. This study examined whether child characteristics and symptomatology preinjury or 6 months postinjury (pain, sleep, and mood, inattention) predicted fatigue at 12months postinjury. METHODS: Parents of 79 children (0-18 years) rated fatigue at 12 months after injury on a multidimensional scale (general, sleep/rest, and cognitive). Demographic and clinical data were collected at injury. Parents rated child sleep, pain, physical/motor function, mood, and inattention at injury (preinjury description), and 6 months postinjury. Children were divided into two traumatic brain injury severity groups: mild TBI (n=57) and moderate/severe TBI (n=27). Hierarchical regression models were used to examine (i) preinjury factors and (ii) symptoms 6 months postinjury predictive of fatigue (general, sleep/rest, and cognitive) at 12 months postinjury. RESULTS: Sleep/rest fatigue was predicted by preinjury fatigue (7% of variance) and psychological symptoms preinjury (10% of variance). General fatigue was predicted by physical/motor symptoms (27%), sleep (10%) and mood symptoms (9%) 6 months postinjury. Sleep/rest fatigue was predicted by physical/motor symptoms (10%), sleep symptoms (13%) and mood symptoms (9%) 6 months postinjury. Cognitive fatigue was predicted by physical/motor symptoms (17%) 6 months postinjury. CONCLUSIONS: Preinjury fatigue and psychological functioning identified those at greatest risk of fatigue 12 months post-TBI. Predictors of specific fatigue domains at 12 months differed across each of the domains, although consistently included physical/motor function as well as sleep and mood symptoms postinjury. (JINS, 2018, 24, 224-236).

Validation and refinement of a clinical decision rule for the use of computed tomography in children with minor head injury in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: There is uncertainty about which children with minor head injury need to undergo computed tomography (CT). We sought to prospectively validate the accuracy and potential for refinement of a previously derived decision rule, Canadian Assessment of Tomography for Childhood Head injury (CATCH), to guide CT use in children with minor head injury. METHODS: This multicentre cohort study in 9 Canadian pediatric emergency departments prospectively enrolled children with blunt head trauma presenting with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13-15 and loss of consciousness, amnesia, disorientation, persistent vomiting or irritability. Phys icians completed standardized assessment forms before CT, including clinical predictors of the rule. The primary outcome was neurosurgical intervention and the secondary outcome was brain injury on CT. We calculated test characteristics of the rule and used recursive partitioning to further refine the rule. RESULTS: Of 4060 enrolled patients, 23 (0.6%) underwent neurosurgical intervention, and 197 (4.9%) had brain injury on CT. The original 7-item rule (CATCH) had sensitivities of 91.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 72.0%-98.9%) for neurosurgical intervention and 97.5% (95% CI 94.2%-99.2%) for predicting brain injury. Adding "≥ 4 episodes of vomiting" resulted in a refined 8-item rule (CATCH2) with 100% (95% CI 85.2%-100%) sensitivity for neurosurgical intervention and 99.5% (95% CI 97.2%-100%) sensitivity for brain injury. INTERPRETATION: Among children presenting to the emergency department with minor head injury, the CATCH2 rule was highly sensitive for identifying those children requiring neurosurgical intervention and those with any brain injury on CT. The CATCH2 rule should be further validated in an implementation study designed to assess its clinical impact.

Fatigue Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Adolescents: A Longitudinal Follow-Up 6 to 12 Months After Injury.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal fatigue data in children suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of time postinjury (6-12 months) and injury severity on fatigue after childhood TBI. Secondarily, we compared fatigue 12 months postinjury against published control data. SETTING: Three tertiary children's hospitals across Australia (n = 1) and Canada (n = 2). PARTICIPANTS: Parents (n = 109) of children (mean [M] = 9.9 years at injury; range, 1.0-16.9 years) admitted to one of 3 participating hospitals with mild (n = 69) or moderate/severe (n = 37) TBI. DESIGN: Longitudinal prospective study. MEASURES: Primary: Pediatric Quality of Life Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (total, general, sleep/rest, and cognitive), rated by parents 6 and 12 months postinjury. Secondary: Pediatric Injury Functional Outcome Scale (fatigue and sleep items, rated on recruitment and 6 and 12 months postinjury). Demographic and children data were collected at recruitment. RESULTS: Mixed-models analysis demonstrated nonsignificant effects of time (6 vs 12 months postinjury) on multidimensional fatigue scores. Cognitive fatigue worsened over time. Moderate/severe TBI was associated with worse fatigue 12 months postinjury (general, P = .03; cognitive, P = .02). Across all severities, fatigue 12 months postinjury was significantly worse compared with control data (total fatigue, P < .001; all domains, all Ps < .025). CONCLUSION: Fatigue remains significant at 12 months since injury, particularly for those with moderate/severe TBI.