"Do No Harm": Promoting Anti-Racist Policing in Pediatric Emergency Departments Through 20 Practice Change...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Health Equity
• Anti-Racism in Healthcare

Background:

• Pediatric emergency departments (EDs) provide critical care for ill or injured children.
• These environments often involve security and law enforcement to ensure safety.
• An active police presence can paradoxically cause harm, particularly to Black and Brown patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and evaluate current security and police encounters within pediatric EDs.
• To advocate for anti-racist reforms in threat management systems within clinical settings.
• To reduce harm and promote health equity by re-evaluating policing in pediatric EDs.

Main Methods:

• Proposing assessment and evaluation of existing security and police interactions in pediatric EDs.
• Calling for policy development to mitigate bias and address medical mistrust.
• Outlining a patient-centered approach prioritizing prevention, early intervention, and de-escalation.

Main Results:

• Active policing in healing environments can disproportionately harm vulnerable patient populations.
• Current threat management systems may perpetuate structural racism and medical mistrust.
• A shift towards de-escalation strategies can reduce the reliance on police presence.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric EDs require reforms to dismantle structural racism and achieve health equity.
• Policies should distinguish clinical from criminal aggression and minimize punitive police contact.
• A multitiered, patient-centered approach can reduce the perceived need for policing in pediatric EDs.