Standardizing and Improving Care for Pediatric Agitation Management in the Emergency Department

• 2023

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• Jennifer Hoffmann; Alba Pergjika; Lynn Liu; Aron Janssen; John Walkup; Julie Johnson
PMID: 37317809DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-059586

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The article describes efforts to improve care for children with agitation in emergency departments. A team created a plan to standardize treatment, aiming to reduce the use of physical restraints. They introduced new guidelines and medications like olanzapine and droperidol, which increased standardized medication use from 8% to 88%. The average time spent in restraints dropped from 173 minutes to 71 minutes. The study highlights the importance of having clear procedures and tools for managing agitation effectively while suggesting further research is needed for community settings.

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Tags

Focus Area: Everyday Emergency

Audience: Behavioral Health Professionals

Emergency Management Stage: Preparedness (Prevention / Protection)

Keywords: Droperidol; Mental Health; Pediatrics; Restraint, Physical; Antipsychotic Agents; Emergency Service, Hospital; Quality Improvement; Psychomotor Agitation

Institutions: Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital; Northwestern University

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