Emergency Medicine: All Areas
Emergency Medicine 5 A
Julia Gombar, MD (she/her/hers)
Resident Physician
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York, United States
Thirteen participants were interviewed via telephone by a single researcher. Participants from 5 U.S. states and 9 unique hospitals were enrolled. Fifty-four percent were female. Three primary themes emerged: 1) Use of clinical prediction rule for neuroimaging in young children. 2) Diagnosis and definition of concussion is largely based on symptomatology that varies with age. 3) Hesitancy to prescribe activity restriction after discharge due to young age. Table 1 provides specific examples for each theme.
Conclusion(s):
Variability exists among PEM physicians in diagnosis and management of concussions in young children. Lack of reliability of symptoms and underappreciation of activities of young children may account for findings. Age-appropriate clinical tools and treatment-guided outcomes research are needed to guide PEM physicians in the care of young children with TBI.