MONDAY, Oct. 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A new discovery may worry many parents: Nearly 8 out of 10 emergency rooms lack the supplies and training needed to treat pediatric patients. A new US study has revealed that.
To respond to pediatric emergencies, paramedics need “key pediatric equipment and supplies,” as well as training, policies and staff tailored to children’s needs, researchers say in the journal Health Affairs. This is stated in the analysis conducted.
How did they reach that conclusion?
A national group of researchers used data from 747 emergency departments in Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and upstate We developed a model that predicts the benefits, risks, and costs of increasing responsiveness. Carolina, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
They looked at outcomes for different types of pediatric patients and compared them to what would be expected if they were treated in a better prepared ER.
Researchers concluded that better childhood preparedness would lower mortality rates, increase life expectancy, improve the lives of pediatric patients, and reduce hospital mortality by 33.47 deaths per 100,000 children, The Washington Post reported. reported.
Researchers concluded that “achieving and maintaining high pediatric response capacity for all medical emergencies in the United States could save thousands of children’s lives each year at a cost of approximately $260 million per year.” ” concluded.
The study authors noted that it is more cost-effective than other interventions, such as routine hepatitis A vaccination, screening for extremely low birth weight babies, and other programs.
They added that a nationwide investment in pediatric ER preparedness would “certainly be cost-effective,” the newspaper reported.
In 2015 alone, 17 percent of all children in the United States visited the emergency room at least once. The agency noted that the majority of pediatric emergency department visits in 2015 were for respiratory illnesses, injuries and poisonings.
Source: Health Affairs, October 2024. washington post
what this means for you
Many ERs are completely unprepared to treat the youngest patients.
