Behavioural emergencies in a paediatric hospital environment

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare
• Behavioral emergencies
• Child psychology

Background:

• Global increase in aggression and high-risk behaviors among children in pediatric hospitals.
• Limited research on behavioral emergencies in pediatric acute care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the characteristics and impact of behavioral emergencies in a quaternary pediatric hospital.
• To identify patient populations frequently involved in these incidents.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study over one year.
• Analysis of behavioral emergencies requiring emergency response team (ERT) attendance.
• Data collected from a quaternary pediatric hospital.

Main Results:

• 218 children triggered 1050 behavioral emergencies in 2018, consuming 386 hours of ERT time.
• 15% of children (33) accounted for over five activations each (6-272).
• Nearly half of frequent-incident children had autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability; over 80% had psychiatric comorbidities.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral emergencies pose risks to staff, patients, and families.
• Recurrent incidents occur despite resource allocation, indicating a need for improved management.
• Novel approaches for prevention and amelioration of pediatric behavioral emergencies are essential.