Children comprise about a third of all general emergency department (ED) visits in Canada. However, these children are vulnerable to receiving emergency care based on adult guidelines when they visit general emergency departments, which can put their lives at risk.

University of Manitoba researchers at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) have conducted a survey to understand pediatric readiness of the general EDs across Manitoba to care for acutely ill and injured children which was published in the International Journal of Emergency Medicine.

The survey tool they used was first developed in the United States and is now used worldwide to assess how ready general EDs are to care and provide treatment for kids.

Through the survey, the researchers collected information on patient care coordination, ED staffing and training, quality improvement, patient safety, policies and procedures, and availability of pediatric equipment and supplies.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) has published the follow-up to this study, where the research team reviewed the readiness of EDs for pediatric patients and pediatric mortality.

“We have conducted a systematic review of all of the published literature regarding the relationship between the pediatric readiness of emergency departments and health outcomes,” said CHRIM Researcher, Dr. Alex Aregbesol, assistant professor of pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine, at the University of Manitoba. “Our evaluation found that children presenting to the general EDs with high readiness scores will likely receive optimal care and ultimately have a better health outcome.”

[At the time of this assessment] Between 2019 to 2021, the average score of pediatric readiness in general EDs in Manitoba was 52 on a scale of 100 points, which is comparable to other Canadian regions. However, results indicated an urgent need to improve pediatric care coordination, increase staffing and training in general EDs, and the implementation of quality improvements.

“If the ED readiness scores are high, a very ill child’s risk of death is cut by half with a shorter length of stay in the hospital,” said study co-lead Dr. Jessica Harper, pediatric emergency physician. “To advocate for pediatric readiness in all general EDs, barriers to implementation and strategies for improvement should be explored.”

Aregbesola said the next steps to follow up with these findings should include “more rigorous studies, such as randomized control trials, as they would assist in identifying evidence-based strategies to improve pediatric readiness of general EDs.”