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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

The Pediatric Risk of Mortality III--Acute Physiology Score (PRISM III-APS): a method of assessing physiologic instability for pediatric intensive care unit patients.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a physiology-based measure of physiologic instability for use in pediatric patients that has an expanded scale compared with the Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) III score. STUDY DESIGN: Data were collected from consecutive admissions to 32 pediatric ICUs (11,165 admission, 543 deaths). Patient-level data included physiologic data, outcomes, descriptive information, and diagnoses. Physiologic data included the most abnormal values in the first 24 hours of pediatric ICU stay from 27 variables. Initially, ranges of each physiologic variable were evaluated for their association with mortality. A multi-variate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the final variables and their ranges. Integer scores reflecting the relative contribution to mortality risk were assigned to the variable ranges. RESULTS: A total of 59 ranges of 21 physiologic variables were selected. This score is called the Pediatric Risk of Mortality III--Acute Physiology Score (PRISM III-APS). Mortality increased as the PRISM III-APS score increased. Most patients have PRISM III-APS scores less than 10, and these patients have a mortality risk of less than 1%. At the other extreme, the mortality rate of the 137 patients with a PRISM III-APS score of greater than 80 was greater than 97%. CONCLUSION: The PRISM III-APS score is an expanded measure of physiologic instability that has been validated against mortality. Compared with PRISM III, PRISM III-APS should be more sensitive to small changes in physiologic status.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Pediatric resuscitation pharmacology. Members of the Medications in Pediatric Resuscitation Panel.

The goal of resuscitation pharmacology is to restart the heart as quickly as possible while preserving vital organ function during chest compression. Unfortunately, the application of advanced life support to pediatric cardiac arrest patients is often unsuccessful. The goal of this paper is to review the scientific rationale and educational considerations used to derive the guidelines for medication use in the pediatric patient during CPR. The first step in drug delivery during CPR is to achieve vascular access. The endotracheal route and intraosseous route may be used, although the former is not reliable. To maximize endotracheal drug effect, a larger dose should be instilled into the airway as deeply as possible. Any vascular access, including intraosseous, is preferable to endotracheal drug administration. Although other alpha-adrenergic agents are theoretically superior, epinephrine remains the drug of choice in pediatric resuscitation. The previously recommended dose, however, may be inadequate; a dose 10 to 20 times larger (100-200 micrograms/kg) should be considered, particularly if the standard dose is ineffective. Lacking convincing data, the indications and dose for calcium are unchanged. Similarly, there are no data advocating a change in the indications or dose for lidocaine, bretylium, or atropine. The treatment of arrest-induced acidosis remains controversial. The mainstay of therapy consists of efforts to maximize oxygenation and tissue perfusion. Bicarbonate is not a first-line drug; its use should be considered when the patient fails to respond to advanced life support efforts, including the administration of high-dose epinephrine. Bicarbonate may be helpful in the postresuscitation setting, but its use should not supplant efforts to maximize tissue perfusion. Adenosine is an effective and generally safe medication for the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia in infants and children. Therefore, its indications, dose, and toxicities should be included in the new guidelines. Finally, a summary of research initiatives are included, including a call for the development of a multi-institutional pediatric clinical resuscitation research group. Large numbers of patients must be enrolled in a standardized manner to better evaluate the benefits and adverse effects of various therapies. This includes the use of high-dose epinephrine, calcium, bicarbonate, and other buffer agents such as Carbicarb and THAM. Animal models simulating the etiology and pathophysiology of pediatric arrest also are needed. In both clinical and animal studies, neurologic outcome and long-term survival should be assessed rather than simply the rate of restoration of spontaneous circulation.

Acidosis↗
PubMed2001

[Home pediatric nursing care service in Germany--a quantitative study of the status of home pediatric nursing care providers in Germany].

In Germany, the importance of pediatric home care has increased consistently over the past 20 years. Nevertheless, compared to adult home care, pediatric home care remains a small part of home care service in general. So far no adequate financing is available in Germany which sufficiently covers the special needs of pediatric patients. This article presents data on facilities for pediatric home care with respect to their personnel and internal structures, as well as services, and types of financing and reimbursement. Likewise, the client structure of these organisations is described with the emphasis on medical diagnoses, age range, and nationality (of the children in pediatric home care). The data gathered are helpful in funding negotiations with the responsible agencies in order to emphasize the particular issues of ill children and their families and with the intention of extending the traditional list of services for home care to include services for children which are otherwise often not paid for by these agencies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Evaluation of the pediatric risk of admission score in a pediatric emergency department.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The pediatric risk of admission (PRISA) score was developed to predict the risk for hospitalization for pediatric emergency department patients. We sought to evaluate prospectively the predictive value of the PRISA score with respect to the risk for hospitalization in a pediatric ED. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a pediatric tertiary center ED. From November 1, 2000, to October 31, 2001, 3 periods of 8 hours each were randomly chosen monthly. During these periods, all patients triaged to the ED were evaluated. Data collection was performed by an investigator uninvolved in the patients' treatment. Data were recorded before the decision regarding hospitalization was made. Odds ratios for the risk of hospitalization related to individual criteria and PRISA scores were calculated. Discrimination and calibration of the score were assessed. RESULTS: During the study periods, 1,930 patients were evaluated. Among these, 203 hospitalizations were observed, and the PRISA score predicted 235. The goodness-of-fit test demonstrated that the score had good predictive ability (chi(2)=28.15; P =.78). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis confirmed the latter findings (area under the curve 0.79 [95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.86]). Some individual criteria of the score did not significantly predict risk for admission. CONCLUSION: The PRISA score is a good predictor of the risk for hospitalization in a pediatric ED. It seems more accurate for the sicker patients. Some variables of the score could be deleted or modified to optimize its accuracy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Developmental and behavioral pediatric practice patterns and implications for the workforce: results of the Future of Pediatric Education II Survey of Sections Project.

A survey of developmental-behavioral pediatricians was conducted to obtain data and insights on their current practice. As part of the Future of Pediatric Education (FOPE) II Survey of Sections Project, questionnaires were sent to individuals who were most likely to represent those pediatricians engaged in the subspecialty of developmental-behavioral pediatrics. Four groups of physicians were compared within the survey: developmental-behavioral fellowship group (n = 272), developmental disabilities fellowship group (n = 139), general academic pediatrics or other fellowship group (n = 57), and a nonfellowship group (n = 224). A majority of respondents indicated a need for an increased number of subspecialists in developmental-behavioral pediatrics in their community during the next 3 to 5 years. There were significant differences in the survey results of a variety of practice issues between those who had and had not received formal fellowship training. The survey data illustrate a developmental-behavioral pediatrician workforce that is becoming increasingly fellowship trained, receiving more referrals, and encountering constraints to seeing more patients in an era of declining reimbursement for services. To overcome these obstacles, stakeholders in child health, including health care payers, will need to be educated about the unique skills and clinical expertise of physicians in developmental-behavioral pediatrics and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Child↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of the built environment at a children's convalescent hospital: development of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory parent and staff satisfaction measures for pediatric health care facilities.

In preparation for the design, construction, and postoccupancy evaluation of a new Children's Convalescent Hospital, focus groups were conducted and measurement instruments were developed to quantify and characterize parent and staff satisfaction with the built environment of the existing pediatric health care facility, a 30-year-old, 59-bed, long-term, skilled nursing facility dedicated to the care of medically fragile children with complex chronic conditions. The measurement instruments were designed in close collaboration with parents, staff, and senior management involved with the existing and planned facility. The objectives of the study were to develop pediatric measurement instruments that measured the following: (1) parent and staff satisfaction with the built environment of the existing pediatric health care facility, (2) parent satisfaction with the health care services provided to their child, and (3) staff satisfaction with their coworker relationships. The newly developed Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scales demonstrated internal consistency reliability (average alpha = 0.92 parent report, 0.93 staff report) and initial construct validity. As anticipated, parents and staff were not satisfied with the existing facility, providing detailed qualitative and quantitative data input to the design of the planned facility and a baseline for postoccupancy evaluation of the new facility. Consistent with the a priori hypotheses, higher parent satisfaction with the built environment structure and aesthetics was associated with higher parent satisfaction with health care services (r =.54, p <.01; r =.59, p <.01, respectively). Higher staff satisfaction with the built environment structure and aesthetics was associated with higher coworker relationship satisfaction (r =.53; p <.001; r =.51; p <.01, respectively). The implications of the findings for the architectural design and evaluation of pediatric health care facilities are discussed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

The state of pediatric interfacility transport: consensus of the second National Pediatric and Neonatal Interfacility Transport Medicine Leadership Conference.

Interfacility transport of pediatric and neonatal patients for advanced or specialty medical care is an integral part of our medical delivery system. Assessment of current services and planning for the future are imperative. As part of this process, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Section on Transport Medicine held the second National Pediatric and Neonatal Transport Leadership Conference in Chicago in June 2000. Ninety-nine total participants, representing 25 states and 5 international locations, debated and discussed issues relevant to the developing specialty of pediatric transport medicine. These topics included: 1) the role of the medical director, 2) benchmarking of neonatal and pediatric transport programs, 3) clinical research, 4) accreditation, 5) team configuration, 6) economics of transport medicine in health care delivery, 7) justification of transport teams in institutions, and 8) international transport/extracurricular transport opportunities. Insights and conclusions from this meeting of transport leaders are presented in the consensus statement.

Accreditation↗
PubMed2004

Severity of injury and mortality associated with pediatric blunt injuries: hospitals with pediatric intensive care units versus other hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To a) compare in-hospital mortality rates for pediatric (age <13 yrs) patients with blunt injuries in the New York State Trauma Registry based on hospital type (dedicated pediatric intensive care unit [PICU] and designated trauma centers and noncenters that do not have a dedicated PICU) for the purpose of determining whether there is a reduction in mortality at a specialty hospital and b) determine the extent to which high-risk patients are admitted to specialty hospitals. DATA SOURCE: Inpatient data for the years 1994-1998 in the New York State Trauma Registry. STUDY SELECTION: A total of 8,180 pediatric inpatients who suffered blunt injury were selected to examine where patients were treated (PICU, regional trauma center without PICU, area trauma center without PICU, or noncenter without PICU) as a function of injury severity. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted for inpatients aged <13 yrs who suffered blunt injury. DATA SYNTHESIS: The injury severity of inpatients treated at PICUs and regional centers without PICUs was significantly higher than at other hospitals. Risk factors that were independently related to survival of pediatric trauma inpatients were age <5 yrs, motor component of one to five, abnormal systolic blood pressure relative to age, and International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision-Based Injury Severity Score. Of the total 136 deaths, 133 were among the patients <5 yrs old, motor score <6, and age-related abnormal systolic blood pressure. A total of 66.8% of these patients were treated at PICUs, and 9.9% were treated at regional centers without PICUs. No statistically significant differences in risk-adjusted mortality rates were found by hospital type, but rates at PICUs were lower than for other types of hospitals except for noncenters without PICUs, whose patients were considerably less severely injured. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant triaging of the most seriously injured pediatric trauma inpatients to PICUs, and there is evidence that this policy is effective.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antiemetic use in pediatric gastroenteritis: a national survey of emergency physicians, pediatricians, and pediatric emergency physicians.

The objective of this study was to review the use of antiemetics for pediatric gastroenteritis and to determine prescribing patterns of physicians. A mailed cross-sectional survey instrument was sent to randomly selected board-certified emergency medicine, pediatric, and pediatric emergency medicine specialists. A total of 1665 surveys were mailed, with 593 completed surveys returned (35.6% response rate). A majority of responders (60.9%) reported using antiemetics for pediatric gastroenteritis at least once in the past year, with a greater than 50% usage for all three specialty groups. Promethazine was the most commonly used antiemetic in all specialties, and per rectum the most common route of administration. Adverse reactions following a single dose of antiemetic were most frequently reported with prochlorperazine. The most common reason for antiemetic use was to prevent further dehydration. The most common concern regarding antiemetic use was potential for side effects. Occasional antiemetic use appears to be a common practice in treating pediatric gastroenteritis, regardless of specialty. Given the absence of literature on efficacy or safety, these drugs should be used only with careful consideration to potential side effects.

Antiemetics↗
PubMed2001

American Academy of Pediatrics: Task Force on Medical Informatics. Special requirements for electronic medical record systems in pediatrics.

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems, which are usually designed for adult care, must perform certain functions to be useful in pediatric care. This statement outlines these functions (eg, immunization tracking and pediatric dosing calculations) to assist vendors and standards organizations with software design for pediatric systems. The description of these functions should also provide pediatricians with a set of requirements or desirable features to use when evaluating EMR systems. Particular attention is paid to special aspects of pediatric clinical care and privacy issues unique to pediatrics.

Child↗
PubMed2005

The Pediatric Risk of Hospital Admission score: a second-generation severity-of-illness score for pediatric emergency patients.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a second-generation severity-of-illness score that is applicable to pediatric emergency patients. The Pediatric Risk of Admission (PRISA) score was developed in a single hospital and was recalibrated and validated in 2, previous, small studies from academic pediatric hospitals. This study was performed to develop and validate a score in a larger sample of diverse hospitals. METHODS: Emergency departments (EDs) were block randomly selected as part of a study on ED quality on the basis of 3 care characteristics: annual patient volume (high or low compared with national median), presence or absence of a pediatric emergency medicine subspecialist, and presence or absence of residents. Patients were selected randomly on the basis of daily arrival logs. Medical records were photocopied, and abstracted data included demographic, historical, physiologic, and therapeutic information. The total sample was randomly divided into a 75% development sample and a 25% validation sample. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to model the risk of mandatory admission, admissions for which preidentified, inpatient medical resources were used. The resulting multiple logistic regression model coefficients were converted to integer scores. Calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit) and discrimination (area under the ROC curve) were used to measure performance. As a measure of construct validity, proportions of patients in ordered risk intervals were correlated with the outcomes of admission, mandatory admission, and ICU admission. RESULTS: Sixteen EDs enrolled 11664 patients. Mean patient age (+/-SD) was 6.8 +/- 5.8 years, and 53% were male. Nine percent arrived by emergency medical services, and 6.9% were admitted. The most common diagnoses were minor injuries, otitis media, and fever. The multivariate analysis yielded a score with 7 historical variables, 8 physiologic variables, 1 therapy (oxygen) term, and 1 interaction term. Calibration was excellent. In the development sample, 442 mandatory admissions were predicted and 442 were observed (total chi2 = 2.275), and in the validation sample, 136.6 were predicted and 145 were observed (chi2 = 8.575). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.82 +/- 0.01 (SE) in the development sample and 0.77 +/- 0.02 in the validation sample. In ordered predicted risk intervals, the proportion of patients with admissions, mandatory admissions, and ICU admissions increased in a linear manner. CONCLUSIONS: The second-generation PRISA II score for pediatric ED patients has been developed and validated in a large sample of diverse hospitals. Performance characteristics indicate that PRISA II will be useful for institutional comparisons, benchmarking, and controlling for severity of illness when enrolling patients in clinical trials.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1997

Prevention of pediatric drowning and near-drowning: a survey of members of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

OBJECTIVE: To assess pediatricians' knowledge about the epidemiology of childhood drowning, their opinions and current practices regarding its prevention, and their interest in taking on more responsibility for its prevention. DESIGN: A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 800 pediatricians in the United States, randomly selected from the American Academy of Pediatrics' approximately 18,000 full fellows. RESULTS: A total of 560 completed surveys were returned, a response rate of 70.1%. Although 85% of respondents believe it is the responsibility of pediatricians to become involved in community and/or legislative efforts to prevent childhood drowning, only 4.1% were involved in such efforts. Only a minority of respondents provided written materials and anticipatory guidance on drowning prevention to their patients. Women were more likely than men to discuss drowning prevention with their patients. Younger physicians were more likely than older physicians to discuss drowning prevention with their patients. Physicians who received formal education on drowning prevention during their pediatric residency training were more likely to provide written materials and anticipatory guidance on drowning prevention to their patients. However, only 17.9% of respondents received formal education on drowning prevention during their pediatric residency training. Seventy-four percent of all respondents felt that further education on the prevention of childhood drowning and near-drowning would be useful to them. CONCLUSION: Although drowning is the second leading cause of death by unintentional injury in the pediatric population (aged 0 to 19 years), most pediatricians do not routinely provide information to their patients, or to their patients' parents, on drowning prevention. IMPLICATION: Pediatricians have been effective child advocates in many areas of injury prevention. If the prevention of drowning is made a priority in pediatric practice, many more children's lives will be saved.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Survey of the current state of pediatric drug use in Japan (1994-6). Drug Therapy Committee of the Japan Pediatric Society.

BACKGROUND: A survey of the current state of pediatric drug therapy in Japan was conducted using a questionnaire completed by committee members and the former president of the Drug Therapy Committee of the Japan Pediatric Society. METHODS: Questionnaires were mailed to the members of the Drug Committee, who represent the various specialties of the Japan Pediatric Society, and to its former chairperson. Questionnaires contained eight items. RESULTS: This survey demonstrated that, although use of drug therapy in adults is clearly defined, pediatric drug therapy in Japan is extremely imprecise, with the potential to lead to undesirable consequences. CONCLUSION: The Japan Pediatric Society demands that the standardization of drug information labels and dosages specifically for children, including premature and full-term neonates, should be included under all aspects of National Health Insurance.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Obesity prevention in pediatrics: A pilot pediatric resident curriculum intervention on nutrition and obesity education and counseling.

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a highly burdensome public health issue associated with premature death, multiple comorbid disabilities and staggering healthcare costs. Between 1980-2000, the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents nearly tripled. Obesity subjects youth to social stigmatization and discrimination. These economic and personal burdens mandate targeted prevention and detection educational programs for all individuals at risk. The most cost-effective method of approaching this obesity epidemic is through education of health professionals. METHODS: As part of an "Obesity Prevention in Pediatrics" curriculum, postgraduate-year (PGY)-2 residents first observed and then participated in the dietary evaluation and counseling of pediatric patients and their families. Attitudinal questionnaires, multiple-choice knowledge examinations and a pre-established checklist of desired skills and behaviors provided evaluation of the curriculum's effect on the participants' ability and willingness to manage actually obese or at-risk pediatric patients and their families. RESULTS: Attitudinal survey and knowledge test scores from control PGY-3 residents generally confirmed that their knowledge and counseling skills on obesity prevention and management were well below expectation. Following participation in the curriculum, study residents' knowledge tended to improve, as did their level of comfort in counseling obese and at-risk children, adolescents and their parents. CONCLUSION: Implementation of an "Obesity Prevention in Pediatrics" curriculum appears to improve participants' knowledge base as well as their skills and level of personal comfort in the recognition, evaluation and management, including counseling, of both obese and at-risk pediatric patients and their families.

Counseling↗
PubMed1990

[The demand for emergency services at pediatric hospitals: a study of 4,858 cases treated at the emergency department of a pediatric hospital].

Given the rise in hospital emergencies, a detailed study of the demand for emergency pediatric care is a must. We compiled 4,858 medical records elected at random and gathered data about global activity in the emergency department of pediatric hospital. The demand for emergency pediatric care grows faster than the corresponding population. The higher and lower patient influxes were on Sunday and Wednesday respectively. The peak rate of influx was attained at 8 pm, whereas the low happened at 6 am. Pediatric emergencies diminish with age and are less frequent in girls than in boys. Only 15.86% of the patients had been referred by a physician. Fever and accidents were the most frequent reason for consultation. Ear, nose and throat diseases are at the top and double in frequency the bronchopulmonary sickness. Analyses were done in 12% of the cases, radiographs were taken in 23% of the patients and 68.58% of the casualties were taken were care of without any of these means. The visit was finished in a mean of 1.99 hours, a swift performance. Of all the cases studied, 93.4% were discharged and 5.3% were admitted to the same hospital. Our data confirm and complete the one published fragmentarily in the Spanish literature. We emphasize that a primary pediatrician could have spared the emergency department a lot of work. We conclude that accessible continuous care must be offered in order to transcend patchwork in following growth and development through pediatric emergency rooms.

Child↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of pediatric hospitalization using the pediatric appropriateness evaluation protocol at three diverse hospitals in Louisiana.

The purpose of this study was to compare the number of inappropriate pediatric admissions and hospital days in three hospitals in Louisiana using Pediatric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (PAEP) criteria. The hospitals studied included an urban, nontertiary care, teaching hospital with 20 inpatient, pediatric beds (A); a private, tertiary care hospital with 30 beds (B); and a tertiary care, regional referral center with 133 pediatric beds (C). The study prospectively observed all nonintensive care pediatric admissions (> six months of age) between May 1 and June 30, 1993. Admissions and subsequent hospital days were labeled as appropriate or inappropriate based on PAEP criteria. A significantly shorter hospital stay (days) was demonstrated at hospital C (4.41 +/- 1.01, p < .05) compared to A (5.98 +/- 4.95) or B (5.78 +/- 1.21). Similarly, hospital B had significantly more patients admitted electively (19%, p < .05) compared to A (4%) or C (15%). The percentage of inappropriate admissions for hospitals A, B, and C were 11.0, 10.0, and 2.0 (p < .05) and hospital days 18.0, 22.0, and 12.0 (p < .05), respectively. A significant proportion of inappropriate hospital days came from trauma admissions in hospital A (18%, p < .05) and elective admissions in hospital B (36%, p < .05). Hospital A had 99% of patients with either Medicaid or uninsured payor status compared to 35% and 84% at hospital B and C, respectively. Significant differences in the rate of inappropriate admission or subsequent hospital days were demonstrated in the three hospitals studied. Finally, the rates of inappropriate hospitalization demonstrated in this study of Louisiana hospitals were similar to previous studies using the PAEP in other regions.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Validation of a pediatric voice quality-of-life instrument: the pediatric voice outcome survey.

OBJECTIVE: To validate a parent proxy instrument to study the voice-related quality of life (VR-QOL) for the pediatric population. METHODS: The voice outcome survey (VOS) was administered to 108 caregivers of children aged 2 to 18 years, who either had a tracheotomy or had achieved surgical decannulation. The VOS was altered so that each item was addressed to the parent proxy as opposed to the child. A scoring paradigm was developed to report the scores on a range of 0 to 100. Structural properties of the instrument examined include validity, reliability, and principal component analysis. The VOS was then revised to suit the results of this analysis. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD (range) score for the pediatric VOS was 49.8 +/- 27.1 (0-100). Reliability analysis and principal component analysis supported the reduction of 1 item from the final pediatric VOS. The revised instrument demonstrated an overall Cronbach alpha value of.86. Substratification by age revealed robust Cronbach alpha values from ages 2 to 18 years. Construct validity analysis also supported statistical significance (P =.004). Principal component analysis of the revised instrument supports its internal structure and design. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric VOS is a simple, short, health status instrument designed to measure the VR-QOL in the pediatric population. Cross-sectional analysis suggests that children and adolescents with tracheotomies have a poorer VR-QOL than do those who have achieved decannulation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Sedation for pediatric diagnostic imaging: use of pediatric and nursing resources as an alternative to a radiology department sedation team.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a pathway to provide safe, effective, and efficient sedation for pediatric diagnostic imaging studies using non-radiology personnel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multidisciplinary team considered manpower and training requirements and national sedation standards before designing a sedation pathway, which included scheduling, pre-sedation history and physical, medication protocols, and monitoring. Oral and IV medication protocols were developed based on patient age and weight. Sedation delays were defined as >15 min (IV) or >30 min (PO) from start of sedation to start of imaging. A sedation failure resulted in an incomplete diagnostic imaging study. Failure rates of 124 sedations before and 388 sedations after the pathway were compared. RESULTS: The sedation failure rate for 7 months prior to pathway initiation was 15% (19/124). In the first 25 months after pathway initiation, failures were significantly reduced to 1.5% (6/388) ( P<0.0001). Three (50%) of the six failures after pathway initiation were long examinations (>55 min). Deviation from the recommended medication protocol accounted for most of the 115 delays. Only minor adverse events were seen (12/388, 3.1%). CONCLUSION: Implementing a pediatric sedation pathway significantly decreases the sedation failure rate. Pediatric residents and nurses can safely, effectively and efficiently sedate pediatric patients for routine diagnostic imaging procedures without the need for a radiology department sedation team in a department with a small-to-moderate volume of pediatric patients.

Administration, Oral↗