For Immediate Release
December 29, 1997
CONTACT:
Laura Gore
(202) 728-0610, ext. 3006
Emergency Medical Journal Publishes New Guidelines for Pediatric Equipment and A National Task Force Report on EMS Pediatric Educational Needs
Washington, D.C.óThe January issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine presents new national guidelines for pediatric emergency department equipment and a national task force's report on the pediatric curricula needs of Emergency Medical Service providers. Copies of the articles can be obtained from the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Pediatric Equipment
The guidelines presented in the article titled "Guidelines for Pediatric Equipment and Supplies for Emergency Departments" were developed by a national committee of experts from 10 organizations including the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Surgeons, the American Hospital Association, and the Emergency Nurses Association. The committee worked to develop a national consensus on what constitutes minimum equipment and supplies to care for pediatric patients in the emergency department. To accomplish its task, committee members examined and rated items from published lists of pediatric equipment and supplies.
"Emergency medicine is at the forefront of promoting high quality medical care for children," said Dr. Marianne Gausche of the American College of Emergency Physicians and member of the national committee. "These guidelines establish a national consensus about what equipment is necessary to provide high-quality care for children, and they allow for modification to address different severity levels of patient populations."
The guidelines also contain charts of pediatric resuscitation medications. They were developed by experts from national organizations who participated as members of the Committee on Pediatric Equipment and Supplies for Emergency Departments, National Emergency Medical Services for Children Resource Alliance, but do not represent the official policy of any organization.
Pediatric Curricula
The article titled "Education of Out-of-Hospital Emergency Medical Personnel in Pediatrics: Report of a National Task Force" presents major topics and skills for inclusion in pediatric EMS curricula. The guidelines were developed by the Pediatric Education Task Force, a multidisciplinary panel convened by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Emergency Medical Service for Children program.
"This report reviewed controversies and inconsistencies related to EMS pediatric care and identified essential topics and skills that should be included in a paramedic's education related to care for children," said Dr. Marianne Gausche, MD, chairman of the task force. "Additionally, the report emphasized the lack of information available on the efficacy of pre-hospital pediatric skills and stressed the importance of obtaining more research regarding EMS educational strategies, out-of-hospital interventions, skill maintenance, and EMS system design."
The article presents essential topics for paramedic education in pediatric care, including patient assessment, child abuse and neglect, and infants and children with special needs. It also identifies essential paramedic pediatric skills that can be modified to meet local education needs and resources, including bag-valve-mask ventilation techniques and endotracheal intubation. In addition, it presents the constructs of successful curriculum and addresses controversial issues, such as airway management, hyperventilation to reduce intracranial pressure, vascular access procedures, and use of pneumatic antishock garments.
Case Reports
The January issue of the journal contains two case reports:
Bolus Thrombolytic Infusions During CPR for Patients With Refractory Arrest Rhythms: Outcome of a Case Series.óThe article presents three cases of successfully using thrombolytic therapy for cardiac patients during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a treatment not normally considered beneficial because of hemorrhaging complications from CPR-induced trauma.
Recovery of a 62-Year-Old Man From Prolonged Cold Water Submersion.óThe article describes the case of the oldest reported survivor of prolonged cold water submersion.
Other Articles
Alternative to the Science Citation Index Impact Factor as an Assessment of Emergency Medicine's Scientific Contributions.óThe article discusses the bias associated with the current measurement of scientific contributions of Annals of Emergency Medicine and how to improve the measurement. It describes an analysis of journal citations in Advanced Cardiac Life Support publications over 2 decades that indicates emergency medicine has made significant contributions.
Emergency Medicine in Germany.óThe article describes emergency medicine in Germany (e.g., 24-hour primary care physician house-call service, physician staffed ambulances, and a uniform EMS system) and the problems (e.g., skyrocketing health care costs, scrutiny of the EMS system, inadequate qualifications of EMS physicians, and the need to recognize emergency medicine as a specialty).
Emergency Medicine in France.óThe article describes emergency medicine in France, a socialized health care system (e.g., well-equipped and staffed hospital ambulances, but no recognition of emergency medicine as a specialty).
Change of Shift: Sometimes You Gotta Cry.óThis regular feature of the journal presents a heartwarming story of the heroic efforts of emergency physicians to resuscitate a 6-year old girl who had been submerged underwater for 45 minutes.
Attached is a copy of the table of contents for the January issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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Annals of Emergency Medicine is the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians, a national medical society representing more than 19,600 physicians who specialize in emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to improving the quality of emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education.
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