Quality Improvement in Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Abstract Pediatric patients, who accounted for 17.4% of US emergency department (ED) visits in 2010, present unique challenges that can impede an ED’s ability to provide optimal care. To meet the growing demand for comprehensive, high-quality care, health care systems are incorporating quality impro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Academic pediatrics 2013-11, Vol.13 (6), p.S61-S68
Main Author: Macias, Charles G., MD, MPH
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Delivery of Health Care - organization & administration
emergency department
Emergency Medicine - organization & administration
Emergency Service, Hospital - utilization
Female
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Infant
Interdisciplinary Communication
Male
Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
Patient Care Team - organization & administration
pediatric emergency medicine
Pediatrics
Pediatrics - organization & administration
Quality Assurance, Health Care
Quality Improvement
United States
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Summary:Abstract Pediatric patients, who accounted for 17.4% of US emergency department (ED) visits in 2010, present unique challenges that can impede an ED’s ability to provide optimal care. To meet the growing demand for comprehensive, high-quality care, health care systems are incorporating quality improvement (QI) methods to reduce costs and variations in care and to improve access, safety, and ultimately the outcomes of medical care. This overview of QI initiatives within the field of pediatric emergency medicine explores how proven QI strategies are being integrated into efforts that target the care of children within the broader emergency care community. These initiatives are categorized within the domains of education, infrastructures supporting QI efforts, research, and community/government collaborations. Professional societies supporting education, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have made several strides to cultivate new health leaders that will use QI methodology to improve outcomes in pediatric emergency care. In addition to educational pursuits, professional societies and QI organizations (eg, Children’s Hospital Association) offer stable infrastructures from which QI initiatives, either disease specific or broadly targeted, can be implemented as large-scale QI initiatives (eg, quality collaboratives). This overview also provides examples of how QI methodology has been integrated into research strategies and describes how the pediatric emergency medicine community can spread innovation and best practices into the larger emergency care community.
ISSN:1876-2859
1876-2867
DOI:10.1016/j.acap.2013.06.007