Pediatric Care in the Nonpediatric Emergency Department: Provider Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Provider Education
• Quality Improvement in Healthcare

Background:

• Most pediatric emergency visits occur in non-pediatric emergency departments (EDs).
• Limited data exists on healthcare providers' comfort levels when treating pediatric patients in these settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess non-pediatric ED providers' comfort in caring for pediatric patients across different age groups.
• To identify perceived resources and barriers to delivering evidence-based pediatric care in non-pediatric EDs.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous electronic survey distributed to physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in non-pediatric EDs.
• Assessed provider comfort using a 5-point Likert scale across four pediatric age groups for examination, diagnosis, and treatment.
• Investigated access to guidelines, educational resources, and perceived barriers.

Main Results:

• Surveyed 375 providers with a 26% response rate.
• Less than 50% of respondents reported comfort caring for patients under 3 months old (46% examining, 38% diagnosing, 46% treating).
• Key barriers included time constraints, limited access to pediatric resources, and low institutional priority due to low pediatric volume.

Conclusions:

• Provider comfort in managing pediatric patients decreases significantly with younger patient age in non-pediatric EDs.
• A substantial proportion of non-pediatric ED providers lack comfort in managing critically ill infants, highlighting a need for targeted interventions.