Adolescent alcohol use predicts cannabis use over a three year follow-up period.

Background: Alcohol and cannabis use frequently co-occur, which can result in problems from social and academic impairment to dependence (i.e., alcohol use disorder [AUD] and/or cannabis use disorder [CUD]). The Emergency Department (ED) is an excellent site to identify adolescents with alcohol misuse, conduct a brief intervention, and refer to treatment; however, given time constraints, alcohol use may be the only substance assessed due to its common role in unintentional injury. The current study, a secondary data analysis, assessed the relationship between adolescent alcohol and cannabis use by examining the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) two question screen's (2QS) ability to predict future CUD at one, two, and three years post-ED visit. Methods: At baseline, data was collected via tablet self-report surveys from medically and behaviorally stable adolescents 12-17 years old (n = 1,689) treated in 16 pediatric EDs for non-life-threatening injury, illness, or mental health condition. Follow-up surveys were completed via telephone or web-based survey. Logistic regression compared CUD diagnosis odds at one, two, or three-year follow-up between levels constituting a single-level change in baseline risk categorization on the NIAAA 2QS (nondrinker versus low-risk, low- versus moderate-risk, moderate- versus high-risk). Receiver operating characteristic curve methods examined the predictive ability of the baseline NIAAA 2QS cut points for CUD at one, two, or three-year follow-up. Results: Adolescents with low alcohol risk had significantly higher rates of CUD versus nondrinkers (OR range: 1.94-2.76, p < .0001). For low and moderate alcohol risk, there was no difference in CUD rates (OR range: 1.00-1.08). CUD rates were higher in adolescents with high alcohol risk versus moderate risk (OR range: 2.39-4.81, p < .05). Conclusions: Even low levels of baseline alcohol use are associated with risk for a later CUD. The NIAAA 2QS is an appropriate assessment measure to gauge risk for future cannabis use.

Frequent Emergency Department Use by Children.

OBJECTIVES: Frequent use of the emergency department (ED) is often targeted as a quality improvement metric. The objective of this study was to assess ED visit frequency by the demographic and health characteristics of children who visit the ED to better understand risk factors for high ED utilization. METHODS: The majority of pediatric ED services in Rhode Island are provided by a hospital network that includes the state's only children's hospital. Using 10 years of data (2005-2014) from this statewide hospital network, we examined ED use in this network for all children aged 0 to 17 years. Patients' home addresses were geocoded to assess their neighborhood characteristics. RESULTS: Between 2005 and 2014, 17,844 children visited 1 or more of the network EDs at least once. In their year of maximum use, 67.8% had only 1 ED visit, 20.1% had 2 visits, 6.9% had 3 visits, and 5.2% had 4 or more visits. In the adjusted multinomial logistic regression model, age, race/ethnicity, language, insurance coverage, medical complexity, neighborhood risk, and distance to the ED were found to be significantly associated with increased visit frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for frequent ED use by children include age, race/ethnicity, language, insurance coverage, medical complexity, neighborhood risk, and distance to the hospital. To decrease frequent pediatric ED use, improved medical management of complex medical problems is needed, but it is also essential to address modifiable social determinants of health care utilization in this population.

Adolescent Substance Abuse Risk: A Comparison of Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Emergency Department Patients and 2 Nationally Representative Samples.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to understand the prevalence of alcohol and other substance use among teenagers in generalized samples. METHODS: This study compared the alcohol and other substance use of adolescents enrolled in a screening study across 16 Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network emergency departments (EDs) (ASSESS) with those sampled in 2 nationally representative surveys, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) and the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The analysis includes 3362 ASSESS participants and 11,142 YRBSS and 12,086 NSDUH respondents. RESULTS: The ASSESS patients had a similar profile to the NSDUH sample, with small differences in marijuana and cocaine use and age at first tobacco smoking and smoking within the last 30 days and higher use of snuff or chewing tobacco. The YRBSS participants had higher rates of using marijuana, snuff/chewing tobacco, methamphetamine, and hallucinogens and higher smoking rates compared with ASSESS and NSDUH. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents visiting Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network EDs have substantial rates of substance use, similar to other nationally representative studies on this topic, although not as high as a school-based survey. Future ED studies should continue to investigate adolescent substance use, including exploring optimal methods of survey administration.

Reliability and Validity of the Newton Screen for Alcohol and Cannabis Misuse in a Pediatric Emergency Department Sample.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the test-retest reliability, concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity of a recently devised screen (the Newton screen) for alcohol and cannabis use/misuse, and its predictive validity at follow-up. STUDY DESIGN: Adolescents, 12-17 years old (n = 4898), treated in 1 of 16 participating pediatric emergency departments across the US were enrolled in a study as part of a larger study within the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. Concurrent and predictive validity (at 1, 2, and 3 years of follow-up) were assessed in a random subsample with a structured Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-based interview. Convergent validity was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification, a widely used alcohol screening measure. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the Newton screen for alcohol use disorder at baseline was 78.3% with a specificity of 93.0%. The cannabis use question had a baseline sensitivity of 93.1% and specificity of 93.5% for cannabis use disorder. Predictive validity analyses at 1, 2, and 3 years revealed high specificity but low sensitivity for alcohol and high specificity and moderate sensitivity for cannabis. CONCLUSIONS: The Newton screening instrument may be an appropriate brief screening tool for use in the busy clinical environment. Specificity was high for both alcohol and cannabis, but sensitivity was higher for cannabis than alcohol. Like other brief screens, more detailed follow-up questions may be necessary to definitively assess substance misuse risk and the need for referral to treatment.

Screening for Adolescent Alcohol Use in the Emergency Department: What Does It Tell Us About Cannabis, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use?

BACKGROUND: The pediatric emergency department (PED) represents an opportune time for alcohol and drug screening. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommends a two-question alcohol screen for adolescents as a predictor of alcohol and drug misuse. OBJECTIVE: A multi-site PED study was conducted to determine the association between the NIAAA two-question alcohol screen and adolescent cannabis use disorders (CUD), cigarette smoking, and lifetime use of other drugs. METHODS: Participants included 12-17-year olds (n = 4834) treated in one of 16 participating PEDs. An assessment battery, including the NIAAA two-question screen and other measures of alcohol, tobacco and drug use, was self-administered on a tablet computer. RESULTS: A diagnosis of CUD, lifetime tobacco use or lifetime drug use was predicted by any self-reported alcohol use in the past year, which indicates a classification of moderate risk for middle school ages and low risk for high school ages on the NIAAA two-question screen. Drinking was most strongly predictive of a CUD, somewhat weaker for lifetime tobacco use, and weakest for lifetime drug use. This same pattern held for high school and middle school students and was stronger for high school students over middle school students for all three categories. This association was also found across gender, ethnicity and race. The association was strongest for CUD for high school students, sensitivity 81.7% (95% CI, 77.0, 86.5) and specificity 70.4% (95% CI, 68.6, 72.1). Conclusions/Importance: A single question about past year alcohol use can provide valuable information about other substance use, particularly marijuana.

Methodology and Demographics of a Brief Adolescent Alcohol Screen Validation Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) 2-question alcohol screen within 16 Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network pediatric emergency departments. This article describes the study methodology, sample characteristics, and baseline outcomes of the NIAAA 2-question screen. METHODS: Participants included 12- to 17-year-olds treated in one of the participating pediatric emergency departments across the United States. After enrollment, a criterion assessment battery including the NIAAA 2-question screen and other measures of alcohol, drug use, and risk behavior was self-administered by participants on a tablet computer. Two subsamples were derived from the sample. The first subsample was readministered the NIAAA 2-question screen 1 week after their initial visit to assess test-retest reliability. The second subsample is being reassessed at 12 and 24 months to examine predictive validity of the NIAAA 2-question screen. RESULTS: There were 4834 participants enrolled into the study who completed baseline assessments. Participants were equally distributed across sex and age. Forty-six percent of the participants identified as white, and 26% identified as black. Approximately one quarter identified as Hispanic. Using the NIAAA 2-question screen algorithm, approximately 8% were classified as low risk, 12% were classified as moderate risk, and 4% were classified as highest risk. Alcohol use was less likely to be reported by black participants, non-Hispanic participants, and those younger than 16 years. DISCUSSION: This study successfully recruited a large, demographically diverse sample to establish rates of the NIAAA screen risk categories across age, sex, ethnicity, and race within pediatric emergency departments.

Emergency Department Visits Owing to Intentional and Unintentional Traumatic Brain Injury among Infants in the United States: A Population-Based Assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To examine national trends of emergency department (ED) visits owing to traumatic brain injury (TBI) among infants (age <12 months), specifically in the context of intentional and unintentional mechanisms. STUDY DESIGN: National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program data documenting nonfatal ED visits from 2003 to 2012 were analyzed. TBI was defined as ED visits resulting in a diagnosis of concussion, or fracture, or internal injury of the head. Intentional and unintentional injury mechanisms were compared using multivariable models. Joinpoint regression was used to identify significant time trends. RESULTS: TBI-related ED visits (estimated n = 713 124) accounted for 28% of all injury-related ED visits by infants in the US, yielding an average annual rate of 1722 TBI-related ED visits per 100 000 infants. Trend analysis showed an annual increase of 9.48% in the rate of TBI-related ED visits over 10 years (P < .05). For these visits, an estimated 701 757 (98.4%) were attributed to unintentional mechanisms and 11 367 (1.6%) to intentional mechanisms. Unintentional TBI-related ED visit rates increased by 9.52% annually (P < .05) and the rates of intentional TBI were relatively stable from 2003 to 2012. Infants with intentional TBI were more likely to be admitted (aOR, 11.44; 95% CI, 3.02-21.75) compared with those with unintentional TBI. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of TBI-related ED visits in infants increased primarily owing to unintentional mechanisms and intentional TBI-related ED visits remained stable over the decade. Improved strategies to reduce both intentional and unintentional injuries in infants are required.

Risk of Bacterial Coinfections in Febrile Infants 60 Days Old and Younger with Documented Viral Infections.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of serious bacterial infections (SBIs) in young febrile infants with and without viral infections. STUDY DESIGN: Planned secondary analyses of a prospective observational study of febrile infants 60 days of age or younger evaluated at 1 of 26 emergency departments who did not have clinical sepsis or an identifiable site of bacterial infection. We compared patient demographics, clinical, and laboratory findings, and prevalence of SBIs between virus-positive and virus-negative infants. RESULTS: Of the 4778 enrolled infants, 2945 (61.6%) had viral testing performed, of whom 1200 (48.1%) were virus positive; 44 of the 1200 had SBIs (3.7%; 95% CI, 2.7%-4.9%). Of the 1745 virus-negative infants, 222 had SBIs (12.7%; 95% CI, 11.2%-14.4%). Rates of specific SBIs in the virus-positive group vs the virus-negative group were: UTIs (33 of 1200 [2.8%; 95% CI, 1.9%-3.8%] vs 186 of 1745 [10.7%; 95% CI, 9.2%-12.2%]) and bacteremia (9 of 1199 [0.8%; 95% CI, 0.3%-1.4%] vs 50 of 1743 [2.9%; 95% CI, 2.1%-3.8%]). The rate of bacterial meningitis tended to be lower in the virus-positive group (0.4%) than in the viral-negative group (0.8%); the difference was not statistically significant. Negative viral status (aOR, 3.2; 95% CI, 2.3-4.6), was significantly associated with SBI in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Febrile infants ≤60 days of age with viral infections are at significantly lower, but non-negligible risk for SBIs, including bacteremia and bacterial meningitis.

Emergency Department Utilization Among Assault-Injured Youth: Implications for Youth Violence Screening.

OBJECTIVE: Assault is a common cause of youth emergency department (ED) visits. Little is known about prior ED utilization patterns among assault-injured youth. This study's objectives were to determine whether, and how, prior ED visit history distinguishes assault-injured youth from unintentionally injured youth. METHODS: A 5-year retrospective, case-control study was conducted using a hospital billing database. Youth ages 13 to 24 years presenting to the ED of an urban level 1 trauma center in 2011 with an E-code of physical assault- or weapon-related injuries were compared 1:1 to randomly assigned, age- and sex-matched controls with an E-code corresponding to unintentional injury. Bivariate, t test, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and conditional logistic regression were performed to determine how previous ED visits distinguished assault-injured youth from unintentionally injured youth. RESULTS: In 2011, 964 patients presented with assault-related injuries. Over the previous 5 years, assault-injured youth had a median of 1 prior ED visit (interquartile range, 0-3); unintentionally injured youth had a median of zero prior ED visits (interquartile range, 0-2). Assault-injured youth had significantly higher median numbers of previous psychiatric and assault-related ED visits when compared to unintentionally injured youth. A youth with 1 previous psychiatric ED visit had a 4-fold increased odds (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.05; 95% confidence interval, 2.41-6.83) of having a 2011 assault-related ED visit compared to unintentionally injured youth. CONCLUSIONS: Assault-injured youth are more likely to have had prior ED use particularly for psychiatric illnesses and assault-related injury. Targeted youth violence screening may be appropriate for such patients.

Association of RNA Biosignatures With Bacterial Infections in Febrile Infants Aged 60 Days or Younger.

IMPORTANCE: Young febrile infants are at substantial risk of serious bacterial infections; however, the current culture-based diagnosis has limitations. Analysis of host expression patterns ("RNA biosignatures") in response to infections may provide an alternative diagnostic approach. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether RNA biosignatures can distinguish febrile infants aged 60 days or younger with and without serious bacterial infections. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective observational study involving a convenience sample of febrile infants 60 days or younger evaluated for fever (temperature >38° C) in 22 emergency departments from December 2008 to December 2010 who underwent laboratory evaluations including blood cultures. A random sample of infants with and without bacterial infections was selected for RNA biosignature analysis. Afebrile healthy infants served as controls. Blood samples were collected for cultures and RNA biosignatures. Bioinformatics tools were applied to define RNA biosignatures to classify febrile infants by infection type. EXPOSURE: RNA biosignatures compared with cultures for discriminating febrile infants with and without bacterial infections and infants with bacteremia from those without bacterial infections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Bacterial infection confirmed by culture. Performance of RNA biosignatures was compared with routine laboratory screening tests and Yale Observation Scale (YOS) scores. RESULTS: Of 1883 febrile infants (median age, 37 days; 55.7% boys), RNA biosignatures were measured in 279 randomly selected infants (89 with bacterial infections-including 32 with bacteremia and 15 with urinary tract infections-and 190 without bacterial infections), and 19 afebrile healthy infants. Sixty-six classifier genes were identified that distinguished infants with and without bacterial infections in the test set with 87% (95% CI, 73%-95%) sensitivity and 89% (95% CI, 81%-93%) specificity. Ten classifier genes distinguished infants with bacteremia from those without bacterial infections in the test set with 94% (95% CI, 70%-100%) sensitivity and 95% (95% CI, 88%-98%) specificity. The incremental C statistic for the RNA biosignatures over the YOS score was 0.37 (95% CI, 0.30-0.43). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this preliminary study, RNA biosignatures were defined to distinguish febrile infants aged 60 days or younger with vs without bacterial infections. Further research with larger populations is needed to refine and validate the estimates of test accuracy and to assess the clinical utility of RNA biosignatures in practice.

Presentation to either the pediatric emergency department or primary care clinic for acute illness: the caregivers' perspective.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to understand and compare caregivers' perceptions of and attitudes toward care received in a primary care clinic (PCC) versus that received in the pediatric emergency department (PED) as well as the reasons for selecting either location to receive care for their child. METHODS: Surveys were administered to caregivers of children who receive their primary care at the same location who presented for a nonurgent sick visit to either the PCC or PED during regular PCC hours. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-one caregivers in the PCC and 83 in the PED completed the survey. Compared with caregivers who brought their child to the PED, those who presented to the PCC were more likely to report that the child had been sick for more than 2 days (P < 0.001), indicate that the child could wait more than 3 hours to be seen (P < 0.001), have called the PCC for advice (odds ratio [OR], 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.9-9.2), have spoken with a nurse (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 2.0-6.7), be satisfied with their phone call to the PCC (OR, 12.2; 95% CI, 6.4-23.1), and report that they could easily get in touch with the PCC (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.8-7.3). Most caregivers who went to the PCC felt that it was more convenient (98.6%) and they would be seen more quickly (95.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Although all children had the same medical home, caregivers who presented to the PCC were more likely to have called the clinic, spoken with a nurse, and reported greater satisfaction with the PCC than those who brought their child to the PED.

Evaluating the hematoma block as an adjunct to procedural sedation for closed reduction of distal forearm fractures.

OBJECTIVES: Although procedural sedation using intravenous agents is highly effective for forearm fracture reduction, the process is both resource and time intensive. Our objective was to determine whether the use of a hematoma block as an adjunct to procedural sedation with ketamine and midazolam reduces (1) pain during the procedure (scored using the Observational Score for Behavioral Distress-Revised score) or (2) the excess sedation time, defined by the time between procedure completion and discharge from sedation. Our secondary outcome measure was total ketamine dose administered during the procedure. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. Before fracture reduction, children 3 to 17 years of age randomly received 2% lidocaine (L) or normal saline (NS) into the hematoma of their fracture site during sedation with intravenous ketamine and midazolam. RESULTS: Ninety patients were randomized: 50 to L and 40 to NS. The groups were similar with regard to age, sex, type of fracture, and prior administration of pain medication. Median Observational Score for Behavioral Distress-Revised scores were 1.11 and 1.69 for the L and NS groups, respectively (P = 0.23). Excess sedation time was not significantly different between the groups (P = 0.36), with a median excess sedation time of 33.0 and 36.0 minutes for the L and NS groups, respectively. Mean ketamine dose administered was not different between the groups (P = 0.42). The mean total dose administered was 1.00 mg/kg and 1.07 mg/kg in the L and NS groups, respectively. Mean midazolam dose was 0.05 mg/kg for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a hematoma block as an adjunct to procedural sedation with ketamine and midazolam for forearm fracture reduction conferred no additional benefit and did not decrease observed pain scores, excess sedation time, or total ketamine dose administered.

Pediatric eye injuries presenting to United States emergency departments: 2001-2007.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of pediatric eye injuries is not well-documented. This study describes the characteristics of non-fatal eye injuries in pediatric patients (<18 years of age) presenting to United States (US) emergency departments (EDs). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study utilizing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) from 2001 to 2007 to perform a descriptive analysis of eye injury case information for patients <18 years of age, including demographic variables, locales, diagnoses, causes, and hospital disposition. RESULTS: In 2001-2007, an estimated 1,048,500 (95% confidence interval [CI] 878,198-1,218,801) ED visits for eye injury occurred among children less than 18 years of age, representing a rate of 14.31 per 1,000 children. Males accounted for 61.75% (CI 541,971-752,839) of visits. The rate of eye injury was highest in the 15-17 year old age group (18.74 per 1,000 children; CI 199,224-267,132). The most common diagnosis was contusion/abrasion (53.68%; CI 468,035-657,638). The most frequent cause of eye injury was being struck by or against an object (56.63%; CI 491,760-695,758). The majority of injuries occurred at home (65.84%; CI 382,443-588,416) and took place during the spring and summer (39.26%; CI 343,535-479,888). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the risk for pediatric eye injuries is highest for adolescents 15-17 years of age and at home. Further research is needed to determine risk and protective factors associated with injuries in this age group and location to design appropriate prevention strategies.

Eye injuries in the elderly from consumer products in the United States: 2001-2007.

PURPOSE: To quantify and characterize eye injuries related to consumer products in elderly patients (≥ 65) treated in United States (US) hospital emergency departments (EDs) in 2001-2007. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 1,455 patient cases. METHODS: Descriptive analysis of consumer-product (CP)-related eye injury data derived from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a probability sample of 100 hospitals nationwide with 24-hour EDs. Narrative data was used to assign each case with the CP causing the eye injury, correcting for cases with misclassified CP codes. The proportions of eye injury visits were calculated by age, gender, diagnosis, disposition, locale of incident, and CP categories. The patient population included ocular injuries of all severity levels. We examined data for all non-fatal eye injuries in elderly patients (≥ 65) treated in US EDs in 2001-2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age, gender, diagnosis, case disposition, locale of incident, CP causing the injury. RESULTS: There were an estimated 67,864 visits to United States EDs by patients >65 years for CP-related eye injuries during the study period, of which 64 % (43,105; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 40,739-45,472) were by males; 70 % (CI, 44,837-49,496) occurred at home. Chemicals (22 %; 15,236; CI, 13,482-16,989), followed by cutting tools/construction (21 %; 14,524; CI, 12,777-16,272), furniture (15 %; 10,145; CI, 8,724-11,566), and gardening (14 %; 9,467; CI, 8,021-10,912) were the most common causes of eye injury. The CP categories with the greatest proportion of preventable injuries were cutting tools/construction (90 %), gardening (88 %), and household tools (71 %). Contusions or abrasions (39 %; 26,968; CI, 24,850-29,086) were the most common diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that most CP-related elderly eye injuries in the U.S. occur at home and in men. Chemicals are the most common cause of injury. Further research is needed to determine effective strategies to minimize CP-related eye injuries in the elderly.

Energy drink and other substance use among adolescent and young adult emergency department patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to understand current patterns of energy drink use and compare the extent of usage of energy drinks and other commonly used and misused substances between adolescent (13-17-years-old) and young adult (18-25-years-old) emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS: During a 6-week period between June and August 2010, all patients presenting to an adult or pediatric ED were asked to complete a computer-based, anonymous questionnaire regarding use of energy drinks and other substances. Wilcoxon rank-sum, 2-sample tests of binomial proportions, Pearson χ(2) testing, and regression models were used to compare energy drink and substance use by age groups. RESULTS: Past 30-day energy drink use was greater for young adults (57.9%) than adolescents (34.9%) (P < 0.03). Adolescents typically consumed a mean of 1.5 and young adults a mean of 2.6 energy drinks per day when using energy drinks and drank at most a mean of 2.4 and 2.6 drinks per day, respectively. Among adolescents, energy drink usage was more common than alcohol, "street" or illicit drugs, and tobacco usage, but less common than caffeine product usage. For young adults, energy drink usage was more common than "street" or illicit drugs, but less common than caffeine use, and similar to tobacco and alcohol usage. Young adult energy drink users were more likely than young adult non-energy drink users also to use tobacco and caffeine. CONCLUSIONS: Energy drink use is common among ED patients. Given the high prevalence of energy drink use observed, emergency physicians should consider the involvement of energy drinks in the presentations of young people.

Feasibility and acceptability of a pediatric emergency department alcohol prevention intervention for young adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine feasibility and acceptability of a brief pediatric emergency department (PED) prevention intervention to delay/prevent initiation of alcohol use in 12-to 14-year-olds. METHODS: Medically stable 12- to 14-year-olds presenting to the PED who were accompanied by a parent and who had not initiated alcohol use were eligible. Adolescent-parent dyads completed a computerized assessment and were randomized to either brief targeted prevention intervention (BPI) or enhanced standard care (ESC). Families randomized to BPI participated in a PED-based motivational interviewing and skill building-based session with a trained counselor. Parents randomized to BPI had telephone boosters at 1 and 3 months. Families randomized to ESC received standard care and adolescent substance use pamphlets. All dyads completed 6-month follow-up assessments to assess alcohol use-related outcomes. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-eight families were approached: 122 were eligible and 104 were enrolled (85%). Mean youth age was 13 (SD, 0.83) years, 51% were female, and 90% of parents were females. Of the 104 enrolled, 5 withdrew; 99 (94%) completed the assessment battery in the PED in less than 30 minutes. All BPI dyads completed the counseling session in the PED. However, only 53% of BPI parents completed the booster telephone sessions. Brief targeted prevention intervention acceptability items were rated favorably (82%-100%) by both parents and adolescents. There were no differences between BPI and ESC on substance-related outcomes, although the study was not adequately powered for this purpose because it was designed as a feasibility study. CONCLUSIONS: A BPI in the PED is both feasible and acceptable, but phone boosters proved less feasible. Larger samples and further study are needed to identify efficacy of the BPI in delaying onset of alcohol use in teens.

Emergency Department Screening for Adolescent Mental Health Disorders: The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How It Could and Should Be Done.

Mental health problems are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among pediatric populations. Screening for these problems can result in earlier identification and increase treatment and improve outcomes for these children and adolescents. The emergency department (ED) is an ideal site for such screening. Pediatric ED patients are known to be at higher risk for mental health problems. For many, an ED visit is one of the few opportunities to identify and intervene with these children and adolescents. A number of brief, efficient screening instruments have been developed for the ED setting. Screening for mental health problems is both feasible and acceptable to ED patients, parents, and caregivers.

Interventions for adolescent alcohol use.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Adolescent alcohol use is a considerable public health problem, contributing to the leading causes of adolescent morbidity and mortality. Additionally, adolescent alcohol use is a major risk factor for adult alcohol use disorders. Successful prevention of and interventions for adolescent alcohol use may thus have significant public health impact. This article reviews the current literature on adolescent alcohol prevention and intervention strategies. RECENT FINDINGS: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses find that a variety of adolescent alcohol interventions are effective at reducing adolescents' alcohol use, as well as harmful behaviors associated with alcohol use. Long-term treatment is not necessarily superior, as brief interventions have been found to have a large effect size. Additionally, universal interventions (i.e., those that target all families within a group) may be more successful than selective interventions (i.e., those that target only certain families within a group). Intervention effects tend to wane 6-12 months after the cessation of treatment. The results of prevention interventions are more mixed. Many different intervention modalities have been shown to be effective, particularly family-based interventions, as have both universal and targeted interventions. SUMMARY: A wide range of interventions are effective at reducing the harm of adolescent alcohol use. It is unclear which intervention(s) is/are optimal or most efficacious. Additionally, further research is needed on how to maintain long-term intervention effects. It is less clear which prevention strategies are most efficacious. Family-based interventions appear to be most promising.

Increasing computed tomography use for patients with appendicitis and discrepancies in pain management between adults and children: an analysis of the NHAMCS.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Using a national sample of emergency department (ED) visits, we aim to describe use of CBC, computed tomography (CT), and pain medication among ED visits in which appendicitis was diagnosed. We describe use trends over time and identify use differences between adults and children. METHODS: The ED component of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was analyzed for 1992 through 2006, comprising a sample of 447,011 visits (representing an estimated total of approximately 1.5 billion visits), from which a sample of 1,088 patients (representing an estimated 3.7 million patients) received a diagnosis of appendicitis. The frequency of CBC and CT use and frequency of pain medication administration were determined. Survey-adjusted regression analyses were used to determine the probability of a patient receiving CBC, CT, or pain medication. Use was compared between adults and children. RESULTS: During the course of the study, from 1996 to 2006, the percentage of patients with appendicitis who received a CT scan increased from 6.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0% to 15.3%) to 69% (95% CI 55.5% to 81.7%) for adults and from 0% to 59.8% (95% CI 31.6% to 87.9%) for children. CBC use for adults increased from 77.2% (95% CI 62.9% to 91.5%) to 92.8% (95% CI 85.8% to 99.7%) and decreased from 89.1% (95% CI 74.9% to 100.0%) to 68.4% (95% CI 41.9% to 94.9%) for children. The use of pain medications increased from 24.8% (95% CI 11.3% to 38.4%) to 69.9% (95% CI 56.7% to 83.1%) for adults and from 27.2% (95% CI 5.7% to 48.8%) to 42.8% (95% CI 18.1% to 67.5%) for children. The proportion of children who received parenteral narcotics (13.7% [95% CI 9.3% to 18.0%]) was less than that of adults (23% [95% CI 18.9% to 27.1%]). CONCLUSION: CT use has increased for patients with appendicitis over time, and CBC use remains high. There has been an increase in analgesic administration, but more than half of all patients with appendicitis had not received pain medication over the course of the entire study period. Children received fewer parenteral narcotics than adults and appeared to be preferentially treated with nonparenteral nonnarcotic analgesics.

Intranasal ketamine for procedural sedation in pediatric laceration repair: a preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of 3 doses of intranasal ketamine (INK) for sedation of children from 1 to 7 years old requiring laceration repair. METHODS: This was a randomized, prospective, double-blind trial of children requiring sedation for laceration repair. Patients with simple lacerations were randomized by age to receive 3, 6, or 9 mg/kg INK. Adequacy and efficacy of sedation were measured with the Ramsay sedation score and the Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress-Revised. Serum ketamine and norketamine levels were drawn during the procedure. Sedation duration and adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 12 patients enrolled, 3 patients achieved adequate sedation, all at the 9-mg/kg dose. The study was suspended at that time as per predetermined criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Nine milligrams of INK per kilogram produced a significantly higher proportion of successful sedations than the 3- and 6-mg/kg doses.