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Primary Subject area Public Health and Preventive Medicine Background Visits to pediatric emergency departments have decreased up to 75% during the pandemic, with corresponding increases in high acuity visits, inpatient admissions, and intensive care unit admissions compared to historical cohorts. Objectives To determine if caregivers of children presenting to pediatric emergency departments (EDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic are delaying presenting to care for fear of contracting COVID-19. Secondary objectives were to: a) evaluate potential predictors of delay; b) describe the proportion of children whose symptoms worsened during time to presentation. Design/Methods A multicentre cross-sectional survey study of caregivers accompanying their children aged 0-19 years old to 16 pediatric EDs in 6 countries, from May-June 2020. An anonymous online survey, completed by caregivers via RedCAP, included caregiver and child demographics, presenting complaints, if they delayed presentation and whether symptoms worsened during this interval, as well as caregiver concerns about the child or caregiver having COVID-19 at the time of ED visit. Results Of 1543 caregivers completing the survey, 287 (18.6%) reported a delay in seeking ED care due to concerns of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Of those, 124 (43.2%) stated their child’s symptoms worsened during the waiting interval. Caregiver relationship to child [mother] (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.27-2.76), presence of chronic illness in child (OR 1.78. 95% CI 1.14-2.79), younger age of caregiver (OR 0.965, 95% CI 0.943-0.986), and caregiver concerns about lost work during the pandemic (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12), were independently associated with a COVID-19-related delayed presentation in multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion Almost one in five caregivers reported delaying ED presentation for their ill or injured child, specifically due to fear of contracting COVID-19 while in hospital. Mothers, younger caregivers, caregivers of children with chronic illness, and those concerned about lost work were at highest risk for delay.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken an unprecedented global toll and vaccination is needed to restore healthy living. Timely inclusion of children in vaccination trials is critical. We surveyed caregivers of children seeking care in 17 Emergency Departments (ED) across 6 countries during the peak of the pandemic to identify factors associated with intent to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials. Questions about child and parent characteristics, COVID-19 expressed concerns and parental attitudes toward participation in a trial were asked. Of 2768 completed surveys, 18.4% parents stated they would enroll their child in a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine and 14.4% would agree to a randomized placebo-controlled study. Factors associated with willingness to participate were parents agreeing to enroll in a COVID-19 vaccine trial themselves (Odds Ratio (OR) 32.9, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) (21.9–51.2)) having an older child (OR 1.0 (1.0–1.01)), having children who received all vaccinations based on their country schedule (OR 2.67 (1.35–5.71)) and parents with high school education or lower (OR 1.79 (1.18–2.74)). Mothers were less likely to enroll their child in a trial (OR 0.68 (0.47–0.97)). Only one fifth of families surveyed will consider enrolling their child in a vaccine trial. Parental interest in participation, history of vaccinating their child, and the child being older all are associated with parents allowing their child to participate in a COVID vaccine trial. This information may help decision-makers and researchers shape their strategies for trial design and participation engagement in upcoming COVID19 vaccination trials.

Resumen: Introducción: Mejorar la experiencia del paciente debe convertirse en una prioridad en los Servicios de Urgencias. En Pediatría, a menudo, se estudia la opinión de padres/cuidadores y no la de los niños directamente. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la experiencia como paciente del paciente pediátrico ingresado desde el Servicio de Urgencias pediátricas. Pacientes y métodos: Estudio descriptivo prospectivo. Se diseña una encuesta basada en el cuestionario Picker sobre la experiencia del paciente que estudia la proporción de insatisfacción. Las encuestas son contestadas directamente por niños de 8-17 años que son visitados e ingresados desde Urgencias de un hospital terciario pediátrico. Se entregan las encuestas durante las primeras 24 h de ingreso de enero a mayo del 2014. Resultados: Se obtienen 217 encuestas. La mediana de edad es de 12 años. Los niños piensan que la espera fue más larga de lo esperado (19,4%) y que las actividades de entretenimiento fueron inadecuadas (46,2%). Sobre la visita médica, el 4,6% piensa que el personal no explicó correctamente los procedimientos y para el 23% no tuvieron la suficiente privacidad. Sobre el conjunto de la visita, el 99,1% de los pacientes se sintió bastante o muy bien tratado. No se han encontrado diferencias en el grado de satisfacción en función del sexo, la edad o el tiempo de espera. Conclusiones: Globalmente, la experiencia del paciente pediátrico en nuestro Servicio de Urgencias fue positiva. Algunos aspectos son susceptibles de mejora, como las actividades durante la espera y la privacidad durante la visita. Abstract: Introduction: Improving patient experience must become a priority in paediatric emergency departments. This experience is often studied by surveying parents, and not children directly. The aim of this study was to assess the patient experience of children attended in a Paediatric Emergency Department (PED). Patients and methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted using a survey based on the Picker questionnaire on the patient experience. From January to May 2014, children 8-17 years seen in the Paediatric Emergency Department and admitted to the hospital were asked to complete the questionnaires anonymously, within 24 hours of admission. Results: A total of 217 patients completed the survey. The responses showed the 19.4% had to wait longer than expected, with 46.2% saying that there was not enough for children of their age group to do while waiting to be seen. As regards care and treatment, 4.6% of participants said staff did not fully explain what they were doing, and 23% said that they were not given enough privacy when being examined. Overall, 99.1% of patients said that they were well treated. Conclusions: Overall patient experience in the PED was positive. Some aspects have to be improved (activities in the waiting room, and privacy during the examination).

Objectives To determine factors associated with parents who plan to vaccinate their children against influenza next year, especially those who did not vaccinate against influenza last year using a global survey. Study Design A survey of caregivers accompanying their children 1-19 years-old in 17 Pediatric Emergency Departments (ED) in six countries at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anonymous online survey included caregiver and child demographic information, vaccination history and future intentions, and concern about the child and caregiver having COVID-19 at the time of ED visit. Results Of 2422 surveys, 1314 (54.2%) caregivers stated they plan to vaccinate their child against influenza next year, an increase of 15.8% from the prior year. Of 1459 caregivers who did not vaccinate their children last year, 418 (28.6%) plan to do so next year. Factors predicting willingness to change and vaccinate included child’s up-to-date vaccination status (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29 – 3.32 P = .003); caregivers’ influenza vaccine history (aOR=3.26, 95% CI 2.41 – 4.40 , p< 0.010), and level of concern their child had COVID-19 (aOR=1.09, 95% CI 1.01 – 1.17, p=0.022). Conclusions Changes in risk perception due to COVID-19, and prior vaccination, may serve to influence decision-making among caregivers regarding influenza vaccination in the coming season. In order to promote influenza vaccination among children, public health programs can leverage this information.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a disaster preparedness training programme in a Paediatric Emergency Department (PED). Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire that was distributed to health care providers of a PED in a tertiary paediatric hospital. The questions concerned the disaster plan (DP), including theoretical and practical aspects. Questionnaires were distributed and completed in January 2014 (period 1) and November 2014 (period 2). The disaster training programme includes theoretical and practical sessions. Results: A total of 110 questionnaires were collected in period 1, and 80 in period 2. Almost three-quarters (71.3%) of PED staff attended the theoretical sessions, and 43.8% attended the practical sessions. The application of this training programme significantly improved knowledge about the DP, but no improvement was observed in the practical questions. PED staff felt more prepared to face a disaster after the training programme (15.5% vs. 41.8%, P

Resumen: Objetivos: Analizar la eficacia de un programa formativo sobre catástrofes en un Servicio de Urgencias Pediátricas (SUP). Metodología: Estudio cuasiexperimental mediante encuestas dirigidas al personal sanitario del SUP de un hospital pediátrico de tercer nivel. Se evalúan aspectos teóricos y prácticos del plan de catástrofes (PC). Las encuestas son cumplimentadas en 2 periodos (periodo 1, enero del 2014, y periodo 2, noviembre del 2014), entre los cuales se realiza una formación con sesiones teóricas y situaciones clínicas. Resultados: Se recogen 110 encuestas en el periodo 1 y 80 en el periodo 2. El 71,3% del personal asiste a las sesiones teóricas y el 43,8% a las prácticas. Tras la formación, aumenta significativamente la proporción del personal que conoce el PC y el «kit» de catástrofes. En cuanto a los aspectos prácticos, no se observa mejoría en las respuestas a las situaciones clínicas planteadas. El personal se siente más preparado para afrontar una catástrofe después del programa formativo (15,5% vs. 41,8%, p

Introduction: Improving patient experience must become a priority in paediatric emergency departments. This experience is often studied by surveying parents, and not children directly. The aim of this study was to assess the patient experience of children attended in a Paediatric Emergency Department (PED). Patients and methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted using a survey based on the Picker questionnaire on the patient experience. From January to May 2014, children 8–17 years seen in the Paediatric Emergency Department and admitted to the hospital were asked to complete the questionnaires anonymously, within 24 h of admission. Results: A total of 217 patients completed the survey. The responses showed that 19.4% had to wait longer than expected, with 46.2% saying that there was not enough for children of their age group to do while waiting to be seen. As regards care and treatment, 4.6% of participants said staff did not fully explain what they were doing, and 23% said that they were not given enough privacy when being examined. Overall, 99.1% of patients said that they were well treated. Conclusions: Overall patient experience in the PED was positive. Some aspects have to be improved (activities in the waiting room, and privacy during the examination). Resumen: Introducción: Mejorar la experiencia del paciente debe convertirse en una prioridad en los Servicios de Urgencias. En Pediatría, a menudo, se estudia la opinión de padres/cuidadores y no la de los niños directamente. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la experiencia como paciente del pediátrico ingresado desde el Servicio de Urgencias pediátricas. Pacientes y métodos: Estudio descriptivo prospectivo. Se diseña una encuesta basada en el cuestionario Picker sobre la experiencia del paciente que estudia la proporción de insatisfacción. Las encuestas son contestadas directamente por niños de 8-17 años que son visitados e ingresados desde Urgencias de un hospital terciario pediátrico. Se entregan las encuestas durante las primeras 24 h de ingreso de enero a mayo del 2014. Resultados: Se obtienen 217 encuestas. La mediana edad es de 12 años. Los niños piensan que la espera fue más larga de lo esperado (19,4%) y que las actividades de entretenimiento fueron inadecuadas (46,2%). Sobre la visita médica, el 4,6% piensa que el personal no explicó correctamente los procedimientos y para el 23% no tuvieron la suficiente privacidad. Sobre el conjunto de la visita, el 99,1% de los pacientes se sintió bastante o muy bien tratado. No se han encontrado diferencias en el grado de satisfacción en función del sexo, la edad o el tiempo de espera. Conclusiones: Globalmente, la experiencia del paciente pediátrico en nuestro Servicio de Urgencias fue positiva. Algunos aspectos son susceptibles de mejora, como las actividades durante la espera y la privacidad durante la visita.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a disaster preparedness training program in a Paediatric Emergency Department (PED).A quasi-experimental study was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire that was distributed to health care providers of a PED in a tertiary paediatric hospital. The questions concerned the disaster plan (DP), including theoretical and practical aspects. Questionnaires were distributed and completed in January 2014 (period 1) and November 2014 (period 2). The disaster training program includes theoretical and practical sessions.A total of 110 questionnaires were collected in period 1, and 80 in period 2. Almost three-quarters (71.3%) of PED staff attended the theoretical sessions, and 43.8% attended the practical sessions. The application of this training program significantly improved knowledge about the DP, but no improvement was observed in the practical questions. PED staff felt more prepared to face a disaster after the training program (15.5% vs. 41.8%, P.001).The training program improved some knowledge about the disaster plan, but it has not improved responses in practical situations, which may be due to the low attendance at practical sessions and the time between the training program and the questionnaires.

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of various actions in the management of pain in a pediatric hospital emergency department. This is an observational study, preaction (phase 1) and postaction (phase 2), with two cohorts of patients diagnosed with abdominal pain, chest pain, and severe headache. Between the two phases, various actions were carried out (distribution of pain assessment scales and a new guide for the management of pain, and the holding of clinical training sessions). Three hundred patients were included in the study, with an average age of 9 years and average evolution time of pain of 20 h. Pain assessment in phases 1 and 2 was 30 and 99.3%, respectively. Analgesics were administered to 23% (phase 1) and 38.6% (phase 2) of the patients with pain. No side-effects from the analgesics given were recorded. In conclusion, the various actions carried out yielded an improvement in pain management, especially in its assessment.

Family presence (FP) during invasive procedures (IPs) in children remains controversial among pediatric emergency department (PED) staff. The authors aimed to determine health care providers' attitudes toward FP during IPs in Spain, to learn whether parents are given the option of being present during different IPs, and to study which factors influence the providers' opinions.Observational study. Physicians and nurses were asked to answer a questionnaire, which was sent to 43 PEDs and was available at the Spanish Pediatric Emergency Society Web site.We obtained 222 questionnaires from 36 Spanish hospitals. A total of 65.8% of the surveys were answered by physicians (66.4% pediatricians) and 34.2% by nurses. The median age of the respondents was 32 years, and 69.2% were women. Parents were given the option of being present during blood sampling (36.4%), intravenous line placement (32.7%), urethral catheterization (32.1%), lumbar puncture (13.5%), and resuscitation (1%). More than 60% of providers approved of FP during blood sampling, sutures, intravenous line placement, and urethral catheterization; however, only 10.8% of providers encourages FP during resuscitation. Against FP, health care staff argue procedural invasiveness (75.6%), parents' anxiety (87.6%), and worsened performance of the procedure (66%). Commonly expressed advantages were reducing patient distress (72.9%) and parent anxiety (62.3%). Physicians, especially the older ones, are more likely to encourage FP than nurses for some IPs.The PED staff tend to prefer parents not to be present during IPs as the level of invasiveness increases. Family presence is not common in Spanish PEDs. Older physicians are more likely to support FP than nurses.