A silent scream in the pediatric emergency department: child abuse and neglect.

Child abuse and neglect includes any behavior that harms the child or hinders the child's development. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with suspected child abuse or neglect in the pediatric emergency department. Between July 2017 and July 2022, patients admitted to our pediatric emergency department and consulted to the medical social services unit with a preliminary diagnosis of neglect and/or abuse were retrospectively scanned through the registry system. The patients were divided into five groups according to their victimization: physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; neglect; and medical child abuse (MCA)-Munchausen by proxy. A total of 371 children were included in the study. Two hundred twenty-two (59.8%) of the patients were female and the median age was 161 months [IQR (46-192)]. Then, 56.3% of the patients were in the adolescent age group. The most common admission time period was between 16.00 and 24.00 (n 163, 43.9%). Then, 24.2% of the patients were exposed to physical abuse, 8.8% to sexual abuse, 26.1% to emotional abuse, 50.4% to neglect, and 3.2% to MCA. One hundred eight (29.1%) patients were followed up as inpatients in the pediatric intensive care unit. Four of the patients (1%) had out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and the deaths were in patients under 2 years of age.  Conclusion: Pediatric emergency departments are one of the important units visited by child maltreatment patients. Victimized children may reflect their silent screams with various clinical presentations. Infants are at the greatest risk of suffering serious or fatal injuries. Health professionals working in the emergency department have an important role in detecting, treating, and preventing recurrence of child neglect and abuse. What is Known: • The pediatric emergency department is an important entry point in the health care system for children who experience maltreatment. • It has a wide spectrum of physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. What is New: • A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose cases of child maltreatment. • Infants are at the greatest risk of suffering serious or fatal injuries.

Emergency medical service use at a pediatric center in Turkey, during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate aspects of pediatric patients presenting to a hospital in Turkey via emergency ambulance services, including incidence of visits to the hospital, acuity of illness and most common diagnoses, during the one-year period before and after the onset of the coronavrrus dsease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: This was a retrospective and single center analysis of children, transported by Emergency Medical Services to the Emergency Department (ED) of a children's hospital in Turkey, between 10 March 2019 and 11 March 2021. RESULTS: Percentage of high acuity group (68.1% vs.76.9%) during pandemic period was significantly lower than prepandemic period (p < 0.001). On the contrary, the percentage of patients using emergency ambulance service with a low level of acuity increased during the pandemic period compared to the prepandemic period (31.9% vs. 23.1%) (p < 0.001). A significant decrease was observed in the cases of lower respiratory tract infections, febrile status epilepticus and excessive alcohol use during the pandemic period. No significant differences were found hospitalizations requiring PICU and mortality in ED during the pandemic period. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic; also, a decrease in admissions was observed for those with high-risk conditions. On the contrary, an increase was detected in patients with low acuity levels. Efforts should be made to ensure access to safe and quality emergency care during the pandemic.

An exploration of parental awareness, knowledge, and concerns related to COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 rapidly spread worldwide with high morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to detect parental concerns along with their awareness of and attitudes towards COVID-19 among patients admitted to our inpatient and outpatient clinics. METHODS: This study was conducted at a children's hospital with 141 parents of children who were patients in the inpatient and outpatient clinics. Parents were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire and psychiatric scales that included the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Impact of Events Scale-Revised form (IES-R). RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 141 parents, of which 59 were parents of inpatients and 82 were parents of outpatients. The most known COVID-19 symptoms were fever, difficulty in breathing, and cough, respectively. The most preferred precaution was "staying at home." We found a significant positive correlation between the number of precautions and BAI score (R = .169, P = .046). Inpatients' parents IES-R scores were significantly higher than outpatients' parents IES-R scores. CONCLUSIONS: Parents were found to be aware of the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of education status and family income. Participants' IES-R scores revealed significant differences in terms of COVID-19 impact on psychological health between the parents of inpatient and outpatient children; inpatients' parents were more concerned about COVID-19.

Detrimental Results of COVID-19 Fear to Child Health.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its consequences have led to fear and anxiety among individuals worldwide. The risk of coronavirus transmission frightens people more than any other health problem they face. Parents have concerns about being infected with COVID-19 and delay accessing hospitals even in an emergency which can be very detrimental to child health. Here, in this article, we would like to present eight patients delayed in admission to the hospital to draw attention to the harmful consequences of COVID-19 fear in the community. Although anxiety and fear are encouraging to take necessary precautions, exaggeration of these emotions may cause greater health problems.

A Case of Recrudescence Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Treated with Atovaquone-Proguanil.

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by infection with the Plasmodium protozoa transmitted by an infective female Anopheles mosquito. Despite successful control programs in many countries, malaria remains to be a major disease burden worldwide, with approximately 584,000 deaths annually. The incidence of the disease and responsible species may differ due to increased human movements between countries. Plasmodium falciparum infection carries a poor prognosis with a high mortality if untreated, but it has an excellent prognosis if diagnosed early and treated appropriately. In the present study, we described a patient diagnosed with falciparum malaria and treated with atovaquone-proguanil who had a history of traveling to Uganda.