Effect of a Sepsis Screening Algorithm on Care of Children with False-Positive Sepsis Alerts.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if implementation of an automated sepsis screening algorithm with low positive predictive value led to inappropriate resource utilization in emergency department (ED) patients as evidenced by an increased proportion of children with false-positive sepsis screens receiving intravenous (IV) antibiotics. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study comparing children <18 years of age presenting to an ED who triggered a false-positive sepsis alert during 2 different 5-month time periods: a silent alert period when alerts were generated but not visible to clinicians and an active alert period when alerts were visible. Primary outcome was the proportion of patients who received IV antibiotics. Secondary outcomes included proportion receiving IV fluid boluses, proportion admitted to the hospital, and ED length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: Of 1457 patients, 1277 triggered a false-positive sepsis alert in the silent and active alert periods, respectively. In multivariable models, there were no changes in the proportion administered IV antibiotics (27.0% vs 27.6%, aOR 1.1 [0.9,1.3]) or IV fluid boluses (29.7% vs 29.1%, aOR 1.0 [0.8,1.2]). Differences in ED LOS and proportion admitted to the hospital were not significant when controlling for similar changes seen across all ED encounters. CONCLUSIONS: An automated sepsis screening algorithm did not lead to changes in the proportion receiving IV antibiotics or IV fluid boluses, department LOS, or the proportion admitted to the hospital for patients with false-positive sepsis alerts.

Bacteriology of pediatric breast abscesses beyond the neonatal period.

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist regarding the presentation and bacteriology of nonneonatal pediatric breast abscess. OBJECTIVE: To determine the bacteriology and characteristic presentation of pediatric breast abscesses in a tertiary care center. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of patients age 1 month to 21 years admitted to a pediatric Emergency Department (ED) between 1996 and 2018 with a breast abscess. Patients with pre-existing conditions were excluded. Records were reviewed to determine demographics, history, physical exam findings, wound culture results, imaging and ED disposition. We used descriptive statistics to describe prevalence of different bacteria. RESULTS: We identified 210 patients who met study criteria. Median age was 13.6 years [IQR 6.6, 17.4], and 91% (191/210) were females. Ninety-two patients (43.8%) were 'pre-treated' with antibiotics prior to ED visit, and 33/210 (16%) were febrile. Ultrasound was obtained in 85 patients (40.5%), 69 patients had a single abscess and 16 had multiple abscesses. Most patients were treated with antibiotics and 100 had a surgical intervention, of these 89 had I&D and 11 a needle aspiration. Admission rate was 45%. Culture results were available for 75 (75%). Thirty-three (44%) had a negative culture, or grew non-aureus staphylococci or other skin flora. Culture were positive for MSSA 21 (28%), MRSA 13 (17%), Proteus mirabilis 2 (2.6%), Serratia 1 (1.3%). Other organisms include Gram-negative bacilli, group A Streptococcus and enterococcus. CONCLUSIONS: Non-neonatal pediatric breast abscess bacteriology is no different than data published on other skin abscesses. MRSA coverage should be considered based on local prevalence in skin infections.

Is lymphangitic streaking associated with different pathogens?

OBJECTIVES: Little is known regarding the differences in microbiology associated with cellulitis or abscess with or without lymphangitic streaking. The objective of our study is to assess whether there are differences in the pathogens identified from wound cultures of patients with paronychia with and without associated lymphangitis. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study at a tertiary pediatric emergency department over 25 years. We opted to assess patients with paronychia of the finger, assuming that these cases will have a greater variety of causative pathogens compared to other cases of cellulitis and soft tissue abscess that are associated with nail biting. Case identification was conducted using a computerized text-screening search that was refined by manual chart review. We included patients from 1 month to 20 years of age who underwent an incision and drainage (I&D) of a paronychia and had a culture obtained. The presence or absence of lymphangitis was determined from the clinical narrative in the medical record. We excluded patients treated with antibiotics prior to I&D as well as immune-compromised patients. We used descriptive statistics for prevalence and χ2 tests for categorical variables. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-six patients met inclusion criteria. The median age was 9.7 years [IQR 4.7, 15.4] and 45.1% were female. Twenty-two patients (8.3%) had lymphangitic streaking associated with their paronychia. Patients with lymphangitis streaking were similar to those without lymphangitis in terms of age and sex (p = 0.52 and p = 0.82, respectively). Overall, the predominant bacteria was MSSA (40%) followed by MRSA (26%). No significant differences were found between the pathogens in the 22 patients with associated lymphangitis compared to the 244 patients without. CONCLUSION: Staphylococcus aureus represent the majority of pathogens in paronychia, although streptococcal species and gram-negative bacteria were also common. Among patients with paronychia of the finger, there seems to be no association between pathogen type and presence of lymphangitic streaking.

Utility of Blood Cultures and Empiric Antibiotics in Febrile Pediatric Hemophilia Patients With Central Venous Access Devices.

BACKGROUND: Children with hemophilia frequently require long-term central venous access devices (CVADs) for regular infusion of factor products. Hemophilia patients are not immunocompromised, but the presence and use of CVADs are associated with infections including bacteremia. Currently, the utility of blood cultures in evaluation of the febrile hemophilia patient with an indwelling CVAD is unknown, nor is optimal empiric antibiotic use. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of febrile immunocompetent hemophilia patients with CVADs presenting to a large academic urban pediatric emergency department from 1995 to 2017. We used a natural language processing electronic search, followed by manual chart review to construct the cohort. We analyzed rate of pathogen recovery from cultures of blood in subgroups of hemophilia patients, the pathogen profile, and the reported pathogen susceptibilities to ceftriaxone. RESULTS: Natural language processing electronic search identified 181 visits for fever among hemophilia patients with indwelling CVADs of which 147 cases from 44 unique patients met study criteria. Cultures of blood were positive in 56 (38%) of 147 patients (95% confidence interval, 30%-47%). Seventeen different organisms were isolated (10 pathogens and 7 possible pathogens) with Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species as the most common. Thirty-four percent of isolates were reported as susceptible to ceftriaxone. Positive blood cultures were more common in cases involving patients with inhibitors (n = 71) versus those without (n = 76), odds ratio, 7.4 (95% confidence interval, 3.5-15.9). This was observed irrespective of hemophilia type. CONCLUSIONS: Febrile immunocompetent hemophilia patients with indwelling CVADs have high rates of bacteremia. Empiric antimicrobial therapy should be targeted to anticipated pathogens and take into consideration local susceptibility patterns for Staphylococcus aureus.

Identifying Patients at Lowest Risk for Streptococcal Pharyngitis: A National Validation Study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of features of viral illness in a national sample of visits involving children tested for group A Streptococcus pharyngitis. Additionally, we sought to derive a decision rule to identify patients with features of viral illness who were at low risk of having group A Streptococcus and for whom laboratory testing might be avoided. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective validation study using data from electronic health records of patients 3-21 years old evaluated for sore throat in a national network of retail health clinics (n = 67 127). We determined the prevalence of features of viral illness in patients tested for group A Streptococcus and developed a decision tree algorithm to identify patients with features of viral illness at low risk (<15%) of having group A Streptococcus. RESULTS: Overall, 54% of patients had features of viral illness. Among patients with features of viral illness, those without tonsillar exudates who were 11 years or older and either lacked cervical adenopathy or had cervical adenopathy and lacked fever were identified as at low risk for group A Streptococcus according to the decision rule. This group comprised 34% of patients with features of viral illness, or 19% of all patients tested for group A Streptococcus infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide an objective way to identify patients with features of viral illness who are at low risk of having group A Streptococcus. Improved identification such patients at low risk of group A Streptococcus could improve appropriate testing and antibiotic prescribing for pharyngitis.

Performance of an Automated Screening Algorithm for Early Detection of Pediatric Severe Sepsis.

OBJECTIVES: To create and evaluate a continuous automated alert system embedded in the electronic health record for the detection of severe sepsis among pediatric inpatient and emergency department patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. The main outcome was the algorithm's appropriate detection of severe sepsis. Episodes of severe sepsis were identified by chart review of encounters with clinical interventions consistent with sepsis treatment, use of a diagnosis code for sepsis, or deaths. The algorithm was initially tested based upon criteria of the International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference; we present iterative changes which were made to increase the positive predictive value and generate an improved algorithm for clinical use. SETTING: A quaternary care, freestanding children's hospital with 404 inpatient beds, 70 ICU beds, and approximately 60,000 emergency department visits per year PATIENTS:: All patients less than 18 years presenting to the emergency department or admitted to an inpatient floor or ICU (excluding neonatal intensive care) between August 1, 2016, and December 28, 2016. INTERVENTION: Creation of a pediatric sepsis screening algorithm. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were 288 (1.0%) episodes of severe sepsis among 29,010 encounters. The final version of the algorithm alerted in 9.0% (CI, 8.7-9.3%) of the encounters with sensitivity 72% (CI, 67-77%) for an episode of severe sepsis; specificity 91.8% (CI, 91.5-92.1%); positive predictive value 8.1% (CI, 7.0-9.2%); negative predictive value 99.7% (CI, 99.6-99.8%). Positive predictive value was highest in the ICUs (10.4%) and emergency department (9.6%). CONCLUSIONS: A continuous, automated electronic health record-based sepsis screening algorithm identified severe sepsis among children in the inpatient and emergency department settings and can be deployed to support early detection, although performance varied significantly by hospital location.

Predictors of a drainable suppurative adenitis among children presenting with cervical adenopathy.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to identify predictors for a drainable suppurative adenitis [DSA] among patients presenting with acute cervical lymphadenitis. METHODS: A retrospective cross sectional study of all patients admitted to an urban pediatric tertiary care emergency department over a 15 year period. Otherwise healthy patients who underwent imaging for an evaluation of cervical lymphadenitis were included. Cases were identified using a text-search module followed by manual review. We excluded immunocompromised patients and those with lymphadenopathy felt to be not directly infected (i.e. reactive) or that was not acute (symptom duration >28 days). Data collected included: age, gender, duration of symptoms, highest recorded temperature, physical exam findings, laboratory and imaging results, and surgical findings. A DSA was defined as >1.5 cm in diameter on imaging. We performed binary logistic regression to determine independent clinical predictors of a DSA. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty-one patients met inclusion criteria. Three hundred six patients (85%) had a CT scan, 55 (15%) had an ultrasound and 33 (9%) had both. DSA was identified in 71 (20%) patients. Clinical features independently associated with a DSA included absence of clinical pharyngitis, WBC >15,000/mm3, age ≤3 years, anterior cervical chain location, largest palpable diameter on exam >3 cm and prior antibiotic treatment of >24 h. The presence of fever, skin erythema, or fluctuance on examination, was not found to be predictive of DSA. CONCLUSIONS: We identified independent predictors of DSA among children presenting with cervical adenitis. Risk can be stratified into risk groups based on these clinical features.

Should patients with complex febrile seizure be admitted for further management?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Children with first complex febrile seizure (CFS) are often admitted for observation. The goals of this study were 1) to assess the risk of seizure recurrence during admission, 2) to determine whether early EEG affects acute management. DESIGN/METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a cohort of children 6-60months of age admitted from a Pediatric Emergency Department for first CFS over a 15year period. We excluded children admitted for supportive care of their febrile illness. Data extraction included age, gender, seizure features, laboratory and imaging studies, EEG, further seizures during admission, and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) given. RESULTS: One hundred eighty three children met inclusion criteria. Seven patients had seizures during the admission (7/183 or 3.8%) Since 38 children were loaded with anti-epileptic medication during their visit, the adjusted rate is 7/145 or 4.8. Increased risk of seizure recurrence during admission was observed in children presenting with multiple seizures (P=0.005). EEG was performed in 104/183 children (57%) and led to change in management in one patient (1%, 95% C.I. 0.05-6%). Six of the 7 children with seizure had an EEG. The study was normal in 3 and findings in the other 2 did not suggest/predict further seizures during the admission. CONCLUSIONS: Children with first CFSs are at low risk for seizure recurrence during admission. Multiple seizures at presentation are associated with risk of early recurrence and may warrant an admission. EEG had limited effect on acute management and should not be an indication for admission.

Utility of Lumbar Puncture in Children Presenting With Status Epilepticus.

OBJECTIVES: Because meningitis may trigger seizures, we sought to determine its frequency in children with first-time status epilepticus (SE). METHODS: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of children aged 1 month to 21 years who presented to a single pediatric emergency department between 1995 and 2012 with SE and who had a lumbar puncture (LP) performed as part of the diagnostic evaluation. We defined bacterial meningitis as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture positive for a bacterial pathogen or CSF pleocytosis (CSF white blood cells ≥10 cells/mm) with a blood culture positive for a bacterial pathogen. We defined viral meningitis or encephalitis using a positive enterovirus or herpes simplex virus polymerase chain reaction test. RESULTS: Among 126 children with SE who had an LP performed, 8 (6%) had CSF pleocytosis. Of these, 5 had received antibiotics before performance of a diagnostic LP. One child in the cohort was proven to have bacterial meningitis (0.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0%-6%). Two other children had enteroviral meningitis (2/13 tested, 15%; 95% CI, 3%-51%), and 1 had a herpes simplex virus infection (1/47, 2%; 95% CI, 0%-15%). CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial meningitis is an uncommon cause of SE.

Febrile seizures: emergency medicine perspective.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review describes current evidence on the evaluation of febrile seizures in the acute setting, the need for further outpatient assessment, and predictors regarding long-term outcomes of these patients. RECENT FINDINGS: New evidence has been added in support of limited assessment and intervention: evidence on low utility of lumbar puncture, emergent neuroimaging, and follow-up electroencephalography, as well as low yield for antipyretic prophylaxis and intermittent use of antiepileptic drugs. Finally, there is growing evidence regarding the genetic basis of both febrile seizures and vaccine-related seizures/febrile seizures. SUMMARY: Routine diagnostic testing for simple febrile seizures is being discouraged, and clear evidence-based guidelines regarding complex febrile seizures are lacking. Thus, clinical acumen remains the most important tool for identifying children with seizures who are candidates for a more elaborate diagnostic evaluation. Similarly, evidence and guidelines regarding candidates for an emergent out-of-hospital diazepam treatment are lacking.

Electronic medication reconciliation and medication errors.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of electronic medication reconciliation implementation on reports of admission medication reconciliation errors (MREs). DESIGN: Quality improvement project with time-series design. SETTING: A large, urban, tertiary care children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All admitted patients from 2011 and 2012. INTERVENTIONS: Implementation of an electronic medication reconciliation tool for hospital admissions and regular compliance reporting to inpatient units. The tool encourages active reconciliation by displaying the pre-admission medication list and admission medication orders side-by-side. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Rate of non-intercepted admission MREs identified via a voluntary reporting system. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 33 070 hospital admissions. The pre-admission medication list was consistently recorded electronically throughout the study period. In the post-intervention period, the use of the electronic medication reconciliation tool increased to 84%. Reports identified 146 admission MREs during the study period, including 95 non-intercepted errors. Pre- to post-intervention, the rate of non-intercepted errors decreased by 53% (P = 0.02). Reported errors were categorized as intercepted potential adverse drug events (ADEs) (35%), non-intercepted potential ADEs (42%), minor ADEs (22%) or moderate ADEs (1%). There were no reported MREs that resulted in major or catastrophic ADEs. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully implemented an electronic process for admission medication reconciliation, which was associated with a reduction in reports of non-intercepted admission MREs.

An Introduction to Natural Language Processing: How You Can Get More From Those Electronic Notes You Are Generating.

Electronically stored clinical documents may contain both structured data and unstructured data. The use of structured clinical data varies by facility, but clinicians are familiar with coded data such as International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms codes, and commonly other data including patient chief complaints or laboratory results. Most electronic health records have much more clinical information stored as unstructured data, for example, clinical narrative such as history of present illness, procedure notes, and clinical decision making are stored as unstructured data. Despite the importance of this information, electronic capture or retrieval of unstructured clinical data has been challenging. The field of natural language processing (NLP) is undergoing rapid development, and existing tools can be successfully used for quality improvement, research, healthcare coding, and even billing compliance. In this brief review, we provide examples of successful uses of NLP using emergency medicine physician visit notes for various projects and the challenges of retrieving specific data and finally present practical methods that can run on a standard personal computer as well as high-end state-of-the-art funded processes run by leading NLP informatics researchers.

IT in the ED: past, present, and future.

Over the past 40 years, information technology in the emergency department (ED) has evolved from primitive tracking, order entry, and laboratory reporting systems to complex multifunctional applications that permeate all aspects of patient care and ED operations. Spurred by incentive programs and technological improvements, both ED physicians and administrators view these systems as a way to increase staff efficiency, to improve patient care quality and safety, to satisfy compliance and reporting obligations, and to reduce costs. As organizations implement and optimize systems, it is helpful to look back at how these technologies were developed, to review the current impacts and effects of their use, and to glimpse the future of information technology in the ED.

Rates of medical errors and preventable adverse events among hospitalized children following implementation of a resident handoff bundle.

IMPORTANCE: Handoff miscommunications are a leading cause of medical errors. Studies comprehensively assessing handoff improvement programs are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether introduction of a multifaceted handoff program was associated with reduced rates of medical errors and preventable adverse events, fewer omissions of key data in written handoffs, improved verbal handoffs, and changes in resident-physician workflow. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective intervention study of 1255 patient admissions (642 before and 613 after the intervention) involving 84 resident physicians (42 before and 42 after the intervention) from July-September 2009 and November 2009-January 2010 on 2 inpatient units at Boston Children's Hospital. INTERVENTIONS: Resident handoff bundle, consisting of standardized communication and handoff training, a verbal mnemonic, and a new team handoff structure. On one unit, a computerized handoff tool linked to the electronic medical record was introduced. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes were the rates of medical errors and preventable adverse events measured by daily systematic surveillance. The secondary outcomes were omissions in the printed handoff document and resident time-motion activity. RESULTS: Medical errors decreased from 33.8 per 100 admissions (95% CI, 27.3-40.3) to 18.3 per 100 admissions (95% CI, 14.7-21.9; P < .001), and preventable adverse events decreased from 3.3 per 100 admissions (95% CI, 1.7-4.8) to 1.5 (95% CI, 0.51-2.4) per 100 admissions (P = .04) following the intervention. There were fewer omissions of key handoff elements on printed handoff documents, especially on the unit that received the computerized handoff tool (significant reductions of omissions in 11 of 14 categories with computerized tool; significant reductions in 2 of 14 categories without computerized tool). Physicians spent a greater percentage of time in a 24-hour period at the patient bedside after the intervention (8.3%; 95% CI 7.1%-9.8%) vs 10.6% (95% CI, 9.2%-12.2%; P = .03). The average duration of verbal handoffs per patient did not change. Verbal handoffs were more likely to occur in a quiet location (33.3%; 95% CI, 14.5%-52.2% vs 67.9%; 95% CI, 50.6%-85.2%; P = .03) and private location (50.0%; 95% CI, 30%-70% vs 85.7%; 95% CI, 72.8%-98.7%; P = .007) after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Implementation of a handoff bundle was associated with a significant reduction in medical errors and preventable adverse events among hospitalized children. Improvements in verbal and written handoff processes occurred, and resident workflow did not change adversely.

Bacteremia in Children With Fever and Acute Lower Extremity Pain.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Blood cultures (BCxs) are often obtained in the initial evaluation of children with fever and acute lower extremity pain; however, their yield in this population is unknown. We aim to describe the prevalence of bacteremia among children presenting to the emergency department (ED) with fever and acute lower extremity pain and identify predictors of bacteremia. METHODS: Cross-sectional review of children aged 1 to 18 years presenting to the ED with fever and acute lower extremity pain between 2010 and 2020. We excluded patients with trauma within the previous 24 hours, orthopedic comorbidity, immunocompromised status, or antibiotic pretreatment. We identified our cohort using a Natural Language Processing-assisted model with manual review and abstracted clinical data. Our primary outcome was a BCx positive for a pathogen. RESULTS: We screened 478 979 ED notes and identified 689 patients who met inclusion criteria. Median age was 5.3 years (interquartile range 2.7-8.8); 39.5% were female. BCxs were obtained from 75.9% (523/689) of patients, of which 510 were available for review. BCxs were positive in 70/510 (13.7%; 95% CI, confidence interval [CI], 10.9-17.0) of children and in 70/689 (10.2%; 95% CI, 8.0-12.7%) of the entire cohort. The most common pathogens were methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (71.6%) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (15.7%). Predictors of bacteremia include C-reactive protein ≥3 mg/dL (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% CI, 2.1-9.6) and localizing examination findings (odds ratio, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.4-7.9). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of bacteremia among children presenting to the ED with fever and acute lower extremity pain is high. Routine BCx should be considered in the initial evaluation of this population.

Detecting unapproved abbreviations in the electronic medical record.

BACKGROUND: At an emergency department (ED) in a tertiary care children's hospital with a level 1 pediatric trauma designation, unapproved abbreviations (UAAs) within electronic medical records (EMRs) were identified, and feedback was provided to providers regarding their types and use rates. METHODS: Existing EMRs, including the ED physicians' patient notes were used as templates to develop a UAA list and an abbreviation detector. The detector was validated against human-screened samples of electronic ED notes from 2003 and then applied to all existing data to generate baseline rates of UAA, before intervention/implementation. Next, the validated abbreviation detector was applied prospectively in screening all EMRs monthly during a six-month period. RESULTS: In validation, the abbreviation detector had a sensitivity of 89%, a specificity of 99.9%, and a positive predictive value of 89%. Some 475,613 EMRs were screened, with UAAs identified at a rate of 26.4 +/- 4 per 1,000 EMRs. The most common nonmedication UAA was "qd" [11.8/1,000 EMRs], and the most common medication UAA was "PCN" [4.2/1,000 EMRs]. A total of 27,282 patient notes from 74 physicians were screened between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2007, and 392 monthly reports were generated. Aggregate UAA use decreased by 8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6%-14%) per month-from 19.3 to > 12.1/100 charts, for a 37.3% decrease in UAA use in the six-month period. The estimated monthly decrease per physician was 0.9/100 (95% CI: 0.86-0.94, p < .001.) After adjusting for secular trends, the decrease was 29% in the six-month study period (95% CI: 14%-44%, p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Use of the abbreviation detector for surveillance of newly created EMRs, followed by consistent education and feedback, led to a significant decrease in UAA use in the study period.

IT in the ED: a new section of Pediatric Emergency Care.

Information technology (IT) has profoundly changed the delivery of health care during the past decade. The pediatric emergency department (ED) represents a specific challenge for applying IT systems to the patient bedside. The rapid pace and unscheduled nature of the ED, the breadth of care delivered, and the range of medical, ethical, cultural, and process issues presented by pediatric patients make this a setting in particular need of thoughtfully designed and usable IT systems. However, reviews of the current state of health IT have documented mixed outcomes, including safety risks introduced by IT systems, significant deficits in usability for clinicians, and unrealized potential. Although some publications have presented methods and outcomes of IT systems in the pediatric ED, the current medical literature is sparse. Professional organizations have not developed successful methods to share best practices across institutions and IT vendors. The authors propose a new section of this journal focused on the application of IT systems to Pediatric Emergency Care. The section will include original research articles and reviews focusing on the application of IT to improve care of acutely ill and injured children. Innovative approaches and articles by physicians in training are particularly encouraged to develop new expertise in informatics within this and related specialties.

Boston Febrile Infant Algorithm 2.0: Improving Care of the Febrile Infant 1-2 Months of Age.

Significant variation exists in the management of febrile infants, particularly those between 1 and 2 months of age. An established algorithm for well-appearing febrile infants 1-2 months of age guided clinical care for three decades in our emergency department. With mounting evidence for procalcitonin (PCT) to detect invasive bacterial infection (IBI), we revised our algorithm intending to decrease lumbar punctures (LPs) and antibiotic administration without increasing hospitalizations, revisits, or missed IBI. Methods: The algorithm's risk stratification was revised based on the expert review of evidence regarding test performance of PCT for IBI in febrile infants. With the revision, routine LP and empiric antibiotics were not recommended for low-risk infants. We used quality improvement strategies to disseminate the revised algorithm and reinforce uptake. The primary outcomes were the proportion of infants undergoing lumbar punctures or receiving antibiotics. Admission rates, 72-hour revisits requiring admission, and missed IBI were monitored as balancing measures. Results: We studied 616 infants including 326 (52.9%), after the implementation of the revised algorithm. LP was performed in 66.2% prerevision and 31.9% postrevision (34.3% absolute reduction, P < 0.001). Antibiotic administration decreased by 26.2% (pre 62.4% to post 36.2%, P < 0.001) and hospitalization rates decreased by 8.1% (P = 0.03). There have been no missed IBIs. Adherence to the pathway led to a sustained reduction in LPs and antibiotic administration for 24 months. Conclusion: A revised pathway with the addition of PCT resulted in a safe, sustained reduction in LPs and reduced antibiotic administration in febrile infants 1-2 months of age.

Occurrence of metabolic acidosis in pediatric emergency department patients as a data source for disease surveillance systems.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesize that the occurrence of metabolic acidosis correlates with the cumulative rate of gastrointestinal (GI) illness and that incorporating acidosis surveillance would improve models used for the early detection of outbreaks of GI disease. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients seen in an urban pediatric tertiary care center from September 1995 to August 2005. All data were analyzed for correlation between acidosis and GI syndrome and for internal periodicities. Four years of data were used to create a model, and the first 100 days of 2004 were used for forecasting. Data collected included visit date, chief complaint (CC), International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, diagnoses (Dx), and limited laboratory data. Gastrointestinal syndrome was defined by either CC or Dx. Acidosis was defined as HCO3 levels 19 mmol/dL or less. Exclusion criteria included hyperglycemia (glucose level >120 mg/dL), glycusoria, or having a test for glycosylated hemoglobin ordered. A simple regression model was used to measure correlation between rates of acidosis and GI_Dx and GI_CC. For acidosis and GI syndrome, we fitted a time series model to the daily data with an auto-regressive integrated moving average (1,1) error term. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 505,028 emergency department visits. The median age was 5.1 years (interquartile range, 1.6-11.8 years), and 46% of patients were females. Of these, 132,142 had GI_Dx and 136,304 had GI_CC. Blood chemistries were obtained from 91,052 patients (18.1%). Acidosis was detected in 32.4% of patients who had these laboratory tests sent.Periodicities were detected for GI_Dx, GI_CC, acidosis rates affected by day of the week, and seasonality, with no changes in incidence during the years of our study. Acidosis rates highly correlated with rates of GI syndrome on a daily basis (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.66 for GI_Dx and r = 0.68 for GI_CC, P < 0.0001 for both). Having non-diabetic ketoacidosis metabolic acidosis has a 42.2% positive predictive value for GI syndrome by either Dx or CC.Acidosis rates can be forecasted as a stand-alone variable (R² = 0.31, P < 0.001).Adding acidosis rates to time series models for GI_Dx or GI_CC significantly improves forecasting, that is, GI_Dx improved from R² = 0.24 to R² = 0.54, and false alarms rates dropped from 32% to 18%. The GI_CC model improved from R² = 0.32 to R = 0.54, and false alarms rates dropped from 28% to 17%. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic acidosis rate is a promising data source for real-time disease surveillance in the pediatric population. The rate of metabolic acidosis is highly correlated with the rate of GI syndrome. Adding this variable to currently used models significantly improves forecasting for real-time surveillance.

Clinician Perceptions of Timing and Presentation of Drug-Drug Interaction Alerts.

OBJECTIVE: Alert presentation of clinical decision support recommendations is a common method for providing information; however, many alerts are overridden suggesting presentation design improvements can be made. This study attempts to assess pediatric prescriber information needs for drug-drug interactions (DDIs) alerts and to evaluate the optimal presentation timing and presentation in the medication ordering process. METHODS: Six case scenarios presented interactions between medications used in pediatric specialties of general medicine, infectious disease, cardiology, and neurology. Timing varied to include alert interruption at medication selection versus order submission; or was noninterruptive. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and independently analyzed to derive central themes. RESULTS: Fourteen trainee and attending clinicians trained in pediatrics, cardiology, and neurology participated. Coders derived 8 central themes from 929 quotes. Discordance exists between medication prescribing frequency and DDI knowledge; providers may commonly prescribe medications for which they do not recognize DDIs. Providers wanted alerts at medication selection rather than at order signature. Alert presentation themes included standardizing text, providing interaction-specific incidence/risk information, DDI rating scales, consolidating alerts, and providing alternative therapies. Providers want alerts to be actionable, for example, allowing medication discontinuation and color visual cues for essential information. Despite alert volume, participants did not "mind being reminded because there is always the chance that at that particular moment (they) do not remember it" and acknowledged the importance of alerts as "essential in terms of patient safety." CONCLUSION: Clinicians unanimously agreed on the importance of receiving DDI alerts to improve patient safety. The perceived alert value can be improved by incorporating clinician preferences for timing and presentation.