Emergencies in Outpatient Practices: What Types Are Most Common and How Frequently Do They Occur? :

It has been at least 20 years since a study looked at the epidemiology of pediatric emergencies that occur in the office setting and one certainly might wonder if that data is still valid today. Fortunately, Yuknis et al (10.1542/peds.2017-3082) did wonder about the nature of pediatric emergencies currently occurring in Indianapolis from 2012 through 2014 by reviewing all emergency Medical Service runs from office to hospital during that time.  The authors reviewed all the EMS records to better understand the interventions provided by EMS when they did arrive to an office to transport a child.  The authors report on more than 38,800 transports and find that respiratory distress, psychiatric and behavioral emergencies and seizures led the list of reasons for transport from office to hospital. EMS provided supplementary oxygen and albuterol treatments more commonly than any other intervention and rarely was a critical care level of intervention needed.  So is your office prepared to stabilize and treat the emergency situations described in this study as well as others perhaps not described?  This article is a great call to awareness to review basic and advanced pediatric life support with your office staff and determine if you have the equipment and supplies necessary to help treat the types of pediatric emergencies that can occur in the office while waiting for EMS to arrive.  There is a lot of information worth sharing in this study—so read it now rather than after your next emergency situation occurs.