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Consensus Statement on Urgent Care Centers and Retail Clinics in Acute Care of Children
Mohsen Saidinejad, Audrey Paul1, Marianne Gausche-Hill2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
Insights
Urgent care centers (UCCs) and retail clinics offer convenient pediatric care for minor illnesses and injuries. Guidelines ensure safe, effective pediatric services, including emergency preparedness and care coordination.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Healthcare Management
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Increasing emergency department wait times and primary care access challenges drive pediatric visits to urgent care centers (UCCs) and retail clinics.
- The growing trend of utilizing UCCs and retail clinics for pediatric care necessitates specific guidelines for these settings.
- Ensuring appropriate care for children in non-traditional settings is crucial given their unique health needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide recommendations for pediatric readiness, scope of services, competencies, staffing, and emergency preparedness in UCCs and retail clinics.
- To offer guidance on transfer of care coordination for pediatric patients from UCCs and retail clinics.
- To present general recommendations for the appropriate use of telemedicine in these pediatric care settings.
Main Methods:
- Development of recommendations based on current trends in pediatric urgent care.
- Review of essential components for safe and effective pediatric care delivery in UCCs and retail clinics.
- Consideration of telemedicine integration for pediatric services.
Main Results:
- Recommendations cover pediatric readiness, defined scope of services, required competencies and staffing levels.
- Guidelines address emergency preparedness, including safe transfer of care protocols.
- General recommendations for telemedicine use in UCCs and retail clinics are provided.
Conclusions:
- UCCs and retail clinics can serve as valuable resources for pediatric care when properly equipped and staffed.
- Adherence to established guidelines ensures safe and appropriate treatment for minor pediatric illnesses and injuries.
- Telemedicine can enhance the accessibility and efficiency of pediatric care in UCCs and retail clinics.
Abstract:
This article provides recommendations for pediatric readiness, scope of services, competencies, staffing, emergency preparedness, and transfer of care coordination for urgent care centers (UCCs) and retail clinics that provide pediatric care. It also provides general recommendations for the use of telemedicine in these establishments. With continuing increases in wait times and overcrowding in the nation's emergency departments and the mounting challenges in obtaining timely access to primary care providers, a new trend is gaining momentum for the treatment of minor illness and injuries in the form of UCCs and retail clinics. As pediatric visits to these establishments increase, considerations should be made for the type of injury or illnesses that can be safely treated, the required level training and credentials of personnel needed, the proper equipment and resources to specifically care for children, and procedures for safe transfer to a higher level of care, when needed. When used appropriately, UCCs and retail clinics can be valuable and convenient patient care resources.
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