Learning From a National Quality Improvement Collaborative for Brief Resolved Unexplained Events.

OBJECTIVE: In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics published the Brief Resolved Unexplained Event (BRUE) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG). A multicenter quality improvement (QI) collaborative aimed to improve CPG adherence. METHODS: A QI collaborative of 15 hospitals aimed to improve testing adherence, the hospitalization of lower-risk infants, the correct use of diagnostic criteria, and risk classification. Interventions included CPG education, documentation practices, clinical pathways, and electronic medical record integration. By using medical record review, care of emergency department (ED) and inpatient patients meeting BRUE criteria was displayed via control or run charts for 3 time periods: pre-CPG publication (October 2015 to June 2016), post-CPG publication (July 2016 to September 2018), and collaborative (April 2019 to June 2020). Collaborative learning was used to identify and mitigate barriers to iterative improvement. RESULTS: A total of 1756 infants met BRUE criteria. After CPG publication, testing adherence improved from 56% to 64% and hospitalization decreased from 49% to 27% for lower-risk infants, but additional improvements were not demonstrated during the collaborative period. During the collaborative period, correct risk classification for hospitalized infants improved from 26% to 49% (ED) and 15% to 33% (inpatient) and the documentation of BRUE risk factors for hospitalized infants improved from 84% to 91% (ED). CONCLUSIONS: A national BRUE QI collaborative enhanced BRUE-related hospital outcomes and processes. Sites did not improve testing and hospitalization beyond the gains made after CPG publication, but they did shift the BRUE definition and risk classification. The incorporation of caregiver perspectives and the use of shared decision-making tools may further improve care.

Diagnostic testing for and detection of physical abuse in infants with brief resolved unexplained events.

BACKGROUND: A Brief Resolved Unexplained Event (BRUE) can be a sign of occult physical abuse. OBJECTIVES: To identify rates of diagnostic testing able to detect physical abuse (head imaging, skeletal survey, and liver transaminases) at BRUE presentation. The secondary objective was to estimate the rate of physical abuse diagnosed at initial BRUE presentation through 1 year of age. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Infants who presented with a BRUE at one of 15 academic or community hospitals were followed from initial BRUE presentation until 1 year of age for BRUE recurrence or revisits. METHODS: This study was part of the BRUE Research and Quality Improvement Network, a multicenter retrospective cohort examining infants with BRUE. Generalized estimating equations assessed associations with performance of diagnostic testing (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)). RESULTS: Of the 2036 infants presenting with a BRUE, 6.2 % underwent head imaging, 7.0 % skeletal survey, and 12.1 % liver transaminases. Infants were more likely to undergo skeletal survey if there were physical examination findings concerning for trauma (aOR 8.23, 95 % CI [1.92, 35.24], p < 0.005) or concerning social history (aOR 1.89, 95 % CI [1.13, 3.16], p = 0.015). There were 7 (0.3 %) infants diagnosed with physical abuse: one at BRUE presentation, one <3 days after BRUE presentation, and five >30 days after BRUE presentation. CONCLUSION: There were low rates of diagnostic testing and physical abuse identified in infants presenting with BRUE. Further study including standardized testing protocols is warranted to identify physical abuse in infants presenting with a BRUE.

Implementation of a Weight-Based High-Flow Nasal Cannula Protocol for Children With Bronchiolitis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if the implementation of a weight-based high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) protocol for infants with bronchiolitis was associated with improved outcomes, including decreased ICU use. METHODS: We implemented a weight-based HFNC protocol across a tertiary care children's hospital and 2 community hospitals that admit pediatric patients on HFNC. We included all patients who were <2 years old and had a discharge diagnosis of bronchiolitis or viral pneumonia during the preimplementation (November 2013 to April 2018) and postimplementation (November 2018 to April 2020) respiratory seasons. Data were analyzed by using an interrupted time series approach. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients treated in the ICU. Patients with a complex chronic condition were excluded. RESULTS: Implementation of the weight-based HFNC protocol was associated with an immediate absolute decrease in ICU use of 4.0%. We also observed a 6.2% per year decrease in the slope of ICU admissions pre- versus postintervention. This was associated with an immediate reduction in median cost per bronchiolitis encounter of $661, a 2.3% immediate absolute reduction in the proportion of patients who received noninvasive ventilation, and a 3.4% immediate absolute reduction in the proportion of patients who received HFNC. CONCLUSIONS: A multicenter, weight-based HFNC protocol was associated with decreased ICU use and noninvasive ventilation use. In hospitals where HFNC is used in non-ICU units, weight-based approaches may lead to improved resource use.

Pediatric trauma telemedicine in a rural state: Lessons learned from a 1-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Previous research from our center has shown that 27% of the pediatric trauma transfers from referring facilities are potentially preventable. Our hospital is the only level 1 pediatric trauma center (PTC) in our state, and we are developing a pediatric trauma telehealth network to help keep certain injured children closer to home. We instituted a pediatric trauma telehealth program with a partnering community-based hospital in our state and aim to report our experience over the first year. METHODS: All pediatric trauma patients that presented to our partnering hospital from January 2019 to February 2020 were reviewed. Disposition was: a) telehealth consultation, b) admission to the children's unit without a telehealth consultation per our head trauma protocol, or c) transfer without telehealth consultation. Data on demographics, hospital course, and disposition were collected via chart review. RESULTS: Eight patients underwent telehealth consults and another 8 patients were admitted to the partnering hospital's children's unit based on the head trauma protocol without a telehealth consult. Patient's ages ranged from 7 months to 15 years. Of the patients that underwent telehealth consult, 7 presented with a head injury and 1 presented with a rib fracture/small pneumothorax. The patient with a pneumothorax was observed for 6 h and discharged home after a repeat chest x-ray was stable. All 15 patients with head injuries were observed and discharged from either the emergency department or children's unit after passing concussion testing. No patients required transfer to our PTC after observation, and none were readmitted. Fifty-six patients were transferred without telehealth consultation, and 3 of these patients could potentially have avoided transfer with a telehealth consultation. CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth in pediatric trauma can be a safe mechanism for preventing the transfer of patients that can be safely observed at a partnering hospital. From a facility that transfers an average of 30 trauma patients per year to our hospital, this program prevented 16 such transfers. Development of a head trauma protocol in collaboration with a pediatric neurosurgeon leads to an unexpected number of patients being admitted to the partnering hospital for observation without utilization of a telehealth consultation. TYPE OF STUDY: Retrospective study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Bottled, filtered, and tap water use in Latino and non-Latino children.

OBJECTIVES: To describe bottled, filtered, and tap water consumption and fluoride use among pediatric patients; to analyze differences between ethnic and socioeconomic groups; and to describe the frequency of physician-parent discussions regarding water consumption. DESIGN: Convenience sample survey. SETTING: An urban public health clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Parents attending a public health clinic. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the prevalence of tap, filtered, and bottled water use. The secondary outcome measures were supplemental fluoride use and the percentage of patients reporting discussions of water consumption with their physician. RESULTS: A total of 216 parents (80.5% Latino and 19.5% non-Latino) completed the survey. Of the parents, 30.1% never drank tap water and 41.2% never gave it to their children. Latino parents were less likely than non-Latino parents to drink tap water (odds ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.67) and less likely to give tap water to their children (odds ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.70). More Latinos believed that tap water would make them sick (odds ratio, 5.63; 95% confidence interval, 2.17-14.54). Approximately 40% of children who never drank tap water were not receiving fluoride supplements. Of the lowest-income families (