WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- An improvement methodology can increase guideline-adherent evaluation for patients with provider concern for nonaccidental trauma (NAT) in the pediatric emergency department, according to research published online Dec. 6 in Pediatrics.
Lauren C. Riney, D.O., from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and colleagues examined and tested key drivers in an effort to increase the proportion of patients evaluated in the emergency department for NAT who received guideline-adherent evaluation from 47 to 80 percent by Dec. 31, 2016. Interventions included best practice guideline construction, education of providers, integration of the guideline into workflow, and construction of order set to support recommendations. Patients aged <3 years who were assessed in the pediatric emergency department for suspected NAT were identified from data compiled from electronic medical records. Adherence to guideline recommendations was tracked over time in order to assess the impact of the intervention.
The researchers included 640 encounters that had provider concern for NAT in the analysis. There was improvement in the adherence to age-specific guideline recommendations from 47 to 69 percent.
"We successfully increased guideline-adherent evaluation for patients with provider concern for NAT," the authors write. "Education and electronic support at the point of care were key drivers for initial implementation."
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