Comparing Leadership Skills of Senior Emergency Medicine Residents in 3-Year Versus 4-Year Programs During Simulated Pediatric Resuscitation: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: The majority of pediatric patients in the United States (US) are evaluated and treated at general emergency departments. It is possible that discrepancies in length of emergency medicine (EM) residency training may allow for variable exposure to pediatric patients, critical resuscitations, and didactic events. The goal of this pilot study was to compare leadership skills of graduating EM residents from 3- to 4-year programs during simulated pediatric resuscitations using a previously validated leadership assessment tool, the Concise Assessment of Leader Management (CALM). METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, simulation-based cohort pilot study that included graduating 3rd- and 4th-year EM resident physicians from 6 EM residency programs. We measured leadership performance across 3 simulated pediatric resuscitations (sepsis, seizure, cardiac arrest) using the CALM tool and compared leadership scores between the 3rd- and 4th-year resident cohorts. We also correlated leadership to self-efficacy scores. RESULTS: Data was analyzed for 47 participating residents (24 3rd-year residents and 23 4th-year residents). Out of a total possible CALM score of 66, residents from 3-year programs scored 45.2 [SD ± 5.2], 46.8 [SD ± 5.0], and 46.6 [SD ± 4.7], whereas residents from 4-year programs scored 45.5 [SD ± 5.2], 46.4 [SD ± 5.0], and 48.2 [SD ± 4.3] during the sepsis, seizure, and cardiac arrest cases, respectively. The mean leadership score across all 3 cases for the 3-year cohort was 46.2 [SD ± 4.8] versus 46.7 [SD ± 4.5] (P = 0.715) for the 4-year cohort. CONCLUSIONS: These data show feasibility for a larger cohort project and, while not statistically significant, suggest no difference in leadership skills between 3rd- and 4th-year EM residents in our study cohort. This pilot study provides the basis of future work that will assess a larger multicenter cohort with the hope to obtain a more generalizable dataset.

Process and Impact of Development of an Adolescent Emergency Psychiatry Unit at a Large Urban Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: Boarding of adolescent patients with mental health concerns requiring ongoing observation and treatment is of increasing concern across US emergency departments. The objective was a proof of concept of developing an adolescent psychiatric emergency unit and assessment of the impact of this unit on lengths of stay (LOS). METHODS: We describe the creation of the unit designed to allow safe assessment and boarding of patients, and appropriate interventions and services, while arranging transfer to inpatient facility or safe discharge home. Using a precreation and postcreation analysis and comparison with a similar facility that did not create such a unit, we utilized linear regression to investigate the primary outcome of total length of stay and secondary outcomes of psychiatric emergency department and pediatric emergency department length of stay for both unit-eligible patients and all patients. RESULTS: The overall length of stay was not associated with a statistically significant change for unit-eligible patients; however, there was a significant decrease in the pediatric emergency department LOS for unit-eligible patients. This was associated with a decrease in beds lost to boarding in the pediatric emergency department of 544 hours per month. CONCLUSIONS: Creation of an adolescent psychiatric emergency unit without allotment of significant additional resources is an option to decrease pediatric emergency department boarding times for adolescent patients requiring ongoing emergent therapy for mental health concerns.

A family-centered approach to social needs awareness in the pediatric emergency department.

Objective: We aimed to understand family preferences around reporting and receiving health-related social needs (HRSN) information by assessment modality during pediatric emergency department (PED) visits. Methods: Families were randomized into paper (control), cell phone, or tablet modality groups by their child's exam room. Nurses alerted families to complete a single HRSN assessment during routine workflow. We used logistic regression and McNemar's test to assess discordance in modality preference. Results: Forty-seven percent of families disclosed at least one HRSN across a total 611 assessments. Disclosure of HRSN was similar by modality. Twenty-three percent of those assigned tablet preferred cell phone (p < 0.001). Two-thirds of families preferred receiving digitally formatted community resources (email or text). There was no difference in preferred timing of HRSN assessment completion. Conclusions: Assessment modality did not appear to influence family HRSN disclosure. Families were generally satisfied with all HRSN assessment modalities but demonstrated a particular preference in using personal cell phones over tablets. Digitally formatted community referrals also pose numerous advantages over conventional paper handouts. Innovation: Use of personal cell phones is a novel, streamlined method of HRSN interventions in the clinical setting, performing similar to more conventional modalities, with a preference among families when compared to tablets.

Factors Associated With Improved Pediatric Resuscitative Care in General Emergency Departments.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the quality of pediatric resuscitative care in general emergency departments (GEDs) and to determine hospital-level factors associated with higher quality. METHODS: Prospective observational study of resuscitative care provided to 3 in situ simulated patients (infant seizure, infant sepsis, and child cardiac arrest) by interprofessional GED teams. A composite quality score (CQS) was measured and the association of this score with modifiable and nonmodifiable hospital-level factors was explored. RESULTS: A median CQS of 62.8 of 100 (interquartile range 50.5-71.1) was noted for 287 resuscitation teams from 175 emergency departments. In the unadjusted analyses, a higher score was associated with the modifiable factor of an affiliation with a pediatric academic medical center (PAMC) and the nonmodifiable factors of higher pediatric volume and location in the Northeast and Midwest. In the adjusted analyses, a higher CQS was associated with modifiable factors of an affiliation with a PAMC and the designation of both a nurse and physician pediatric emergency care coordinator, and nonmodifiable factors of higher pediatric volume and location in the Northeast and Midwest. A weak correlation was noted between quality and pediatric readiness scores. CONCLUSIONS: A low quality of pediatric resuscitative care, measured using simulation, was noted across a cohort of GEDs. Hospital factors associated with higher quality included: an affiliation with a PAMC, designation of a pediatric emergency care coordinator, higher pediatric volume, and geographic location. A weak correlation was noted between quality and pediatric readiness scores.

Triple Versus Single Application of Lidocaine, Epinephrine, and Tetracaine for Laceration Repair in Children.

OBJECTIVE: Lidocaine (4%), epinephrine (0.1%), and tetracaine (0.5%) topical gel (LET) is a safe and effective method of providing anesthesia for laceration repair. Some patients, however, require additional infiltrated local anesthetic. We sought to determine if 3 applications of LET 10 minutes apart (triple LET) result in lower pain scores with suturing than one application for 30 minutes (single LET). METHODS: We performed a randomized single-blind controlled trial of pediatric emergency department patients 7 to 17 years old with simple lacerations requiring sutures. Patients received either triple or single LET, and the first suture was placed or attempted within 15 minutes of removing the LET. Visual analog pain score on a 100-mm scale was obtained by a blinded nurse. Pain scores between groups were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were enrolled: 21 for single LET and 27 for triple LET. Mean visual analog pain scale (VAS) score for single LET patients was 16 (SD, 17; range, 0-48), and that for triple LET patients was 16 (SD, 24; range, 0-95), with the difference not significant at 0.37 (95% confidence interval, -11.9 to 12.6). There was no significant difference in requirement for additional anesthesia between single LET (4 of 21 [19%]) and triple LET (5 of 27 [19%]) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Lidocaine (4%), epinephrine (0.1%), and tetracaine (0.5%) topical gel every 10 minutes for 3 applications was not superior in anesthetic efficacy to applying it once for 30 minutes.

Parent and Nurse Satisfaction Using Pacidose® Oral Medication Delivery Device in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: Administering oral medication to infants is challenging for caregivers, often resulting in incomplete delivery of the intended dose. Pacidose® is an oral medication delivery device that consists of a syringe attached to a tunneled pacifier. This study aimed to determine caregiver and nurse satisfaction and success rate of the Pacidose in the administration of acetaminophen to infants in the pediatric emergency department (ED). DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective trial involving a convenience sample of patients who presented to a pediatric ED between November 2015 and August 2016. Patients younger than 24 months with a physician order for acetaminophen were eligible. Each child received a single dose of acetaminophen delivered by the Pacidose. Nurses, parents, and observing investigators were surveyed with a standardized questionnaire regarding the effectiveness, satisfaction and success rate of Pacidose. RESULTS: 61 patients were enrolled. The median age was 10 months and Pacidose was successful in 77% of patients. Those who required an alternative delivery route were older and no longer used pacifiers. Nurses reported that Pacidose helped administer the medication more easily in 66% of infants and 95% of parents preferred the Pacidose over standard delivery devices. CONCLUSIONS: Pacidose was well tolerated by infants, and both parents and nurses were highly satisfied with this method of administering acetaminophen. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Pacidose is an easy to implement device that can help nurses with oral medication administration. It may have the greatest impact in younger children with recent pacifier use.

Splenic injury after blunt abdominal trauma during a soccer (football) game.

The spleen is the most commonly injured abdominal organ in children who sustain blunt abdominal trauma, and pediatric splenic injury may result from minor mechanisms of injury, including sports participation. We present 2 cases of splenic injury in soccer goalies because of blunt abdominal trauma sustained during game play. Although abdominal organ injuries are uncommon in soccer, emergency medicine and primary care physicians must be aware of the possibility. A high index of suspicion and careful physical examination are key in making the diagnosis.