Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 22, 2026
A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
Published on: November 9, 2016
Ability of hospitals to care for pediatric emergency patients
1Health Policy Resources Group, LLC, Brookeville, MD 20833-2233, USA. jathey@hprg.com
Insights
Many U.S. hospitals lack specialized pediatric facilities and equipment for critically ill children. This suggests a need to improve emergency care integration and regionalization for pediatric patients requiring critical care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Healthcare Systems Analysis
- Critical Care Pediatrics
Background:
- Children's emergency and critical care needs differ significantly from adults.
- Previous studies have not assessed U.S. hospital capabilities for emergent pediatric care.
- Existing healthcare infrastructure may be inadequate for critically ill or injured children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the availability and distribution of pediatric services in U.S. hospitals with emergency departments (EDs).
- To identify gaps in pediatric critical care readiness across U.S. hospitals.
- To evaluate the capacity of hospitals to manage emergent pediatric cases.
Main Methods:
- A self-report survey was administered to 101 hospital emergency departments (EDs).
- The study utilized a stratified probability sample of all U.S. hospitals operating EDs.
- Data collection focused on available pediatric facilities, services, equipment, and protocols.
Main Results:
- Most hospitals admitting pediatric patients lack dedicated pediatric facilities.
- Nearly 10% of hospitals without pediatric intensive care facilities admit critically injured children.
- Many hospitals lack appropriately sized equipment for pediatric emergencies and newborn care, and few have pediatric consultation protocols.
Conclusions:
- The current healthcare system may not adequately integrate or regionalize emergent and critical care for children.
- Significant improvements are needed in the quality of care for pediatric patients experiencing emergent illness and trauma.
- Findings highlight a critical need for enhanced pediatric readiness in emergency and critical care settings.
Context:
The needs of children in emergency situations differ from those of adults and require special attention, yet there has been no study of the ability of U.S. hospitals to care for emergently or critically ill children.
Objective:
To estimate the distribution of pediatric services available at U.S. hospitals with emergency departments (EDs).
Design:
Self-report survey of 101 hospital EDs.
Participants:
Stratified probability sample of all U.S. hospitals operating EDs.
Results:
The majority of hospitals that usually admit pediatric patients do not have separate pediatric facilities. Hospitals without a pediatric department, ward, or trauma service usually transfer critically injured pediatric trauma patients; however, nearly 10% of hospitals without pediatric intensive care facilities admit critically injured children to their own facilities. Likewise, 7% of hospitals routinely admit pediatric patients known to require intensive care to their adult intensive care units rather than transferring the patient to a facility with pediatric intensive care facilities. Few hospitals have protocols for obtaining pediatric consultation on pediatric emergencies. Appropriately sized equipment for successful care of infants and children in an emergency situation was more likely to be missing than adult-sized equipment, and significant numbers of hospitals did not have adequate equipment to care for newborn emergencies.
Conclusion:
Emergent and critical care of infants and children may not be well integrated and regionalized within our health care system, suggesting that there is room for improvement in the quality of care for children encountering emergent illness and trauma.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:28Hospitals-I
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
00:59Hospitals-II
Nurses that work in hospitals have...
01:17Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion