For less than $12 per resident child, every state in the US could prepare its emergency rooms for the youngest patients in a way that would reduce deaths of children after a visit by 25%, researchers have found. A paper published Friday by JAMA Network Open says that more than 80% of emergency departments are not completely prepared for pediatric patients, the New York Times reports. A checklist showing what emergency rooms need can be downloaded here. "You can now find your state and see: How many children who would otherwise die could we expect to save if we implemented universal pediatric readiness at a high level?" said Dr. Craig Newgard, the paper's lead author.
Researchers put the number at 2,143 out of about 7,619 deaths among children treated at emergency rooms. The necessary steps include stocking child-size equipment and supplies and putting in place protocols for resuscitating children. Such preparations are considered in public health to be even more cost-effective than certain childhood vaccines. Experts say any hospital can meet the requirements on the checklist; most already have the majority of the supplies needed, for instance, per the Times. "Even a tiny, little five-bed emergency department in a rural or frontier setting can reach the same level of readiness as a large tertiary care hospital in an urban setting," Newgard said. At the moment, data show, just one-third of children live near an emergency room considered to be highly prepared to care for them. (More emergency room stories.)
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