Analysis of Social Service Specialist Support in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Single-center Descriptive Study

INTRODUCTION: Our main objective was to evaluate the demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients aged 0-18 years who needed social service support in a pediatric emergency department. Our secondary aim was to remind the social service practices in emergency services and to describe the patient profile that frequently needed social service support. METHODS: Patients admitted to the pediatric emergency department between January 2010 and December 2018 were included in this descriptive and retrospective study. Age, gender, nationality, diagnosis at admission, consultations, reasons of social service consultation, problems determined by social service specialist and interventions were recorded via hospital information management system. RESULTS: Total number of patients consulted to social service during the study was 324. The mean age of the patient group was 11 ± 6 years, 206 (63.6%) were female, 118 (36.4%) were male; 283 (87.3%) were Turk, 41 (12.7%) were Syrian. The most common follow-up reasons were suicide with 133 patients (41%), trauma with 65 patients (20.1%), and substance abuse with 36 patients (11.1%). The most common social service consultation reason was suspected abuse-neglect (87.7%). As a result of social service evaluation, 116 (35.8%) had relationship problems, 73 (22.5%) had behavioral problems, 56 (17.3%) had abuse and/or neglect suspicion, 34 (10.5%) had either patient’s or family's adherence problem, 20 (6.2%) had environmental problems and 5 (1.5%) had legal problems. Only 20 patients (6.2%) had no problem. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In conclusion, social service support was needed the most for the patients who attempted suicide and consultation was requested the most due to suspicion of abuse and neglect. Thus, inclusion of social service specialists in pediatric emergency departments can play a key role in protection and safety of child health.

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Emergency Department Conditions Associated With the Number of Patients Who Leave a Pediatric Emergency Department Before Physician Assessment

Pediatric Emergency Care ◽

10.1097/pec.0b013e3182a5cbc2 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (10) ◽

pp. 1082-1090 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Antonia Schirmer Stang ◽

Jane McCusker ◽

Antonio Ciampi ◽

Erin Strumpf

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Pediatric Emergency ◽

Pediatric Emergency Department ◽

Physician Assessment ◽

Number Of Patients

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Designers Drugs—A New Challenge to Emergency Departments—An Observational Study in Poland

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina56070354 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 56 (7) ◽

pp. 354

Author(s):

Rakesh Jalali ◽

Paula Dmochowska ◽

Izabela Godlewska ◽

Justyna Balmas ◽

Katarzyna Młynarska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Emergency Departments ◽

Therapeutic Process ◽

Symptomatic Treatment ◽

Pediatric Emergency ◽

Designer Drugs ◽

New Psychoactive Substances ◽

Pediatric Emergency Department ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

Number Of Patients

Background and Objective: In the last decade, the phenomenon of using new psychoactive substances (NPS), called designer drugs, has been on rise. Though their production and marketing in Poland is prohibited, reports of the Supreme Audit Office noted that young people are increasingly reaching for new intoxication agents in the form of designer drugs. There is a significant increase in the number of patients with NPS abuse admitted to the emergency departments. As NPS cannot be detected by standard tests for the presence of psychoactive substances, it is difficult to choose the appropriate therapeutic intervention. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the patient characteristics in the population of adults and children suspected of using NPS and formulate the protocol for diagnosis and treatment. Materials and Method: The paper is based on a retrospective analysis of medical records of hospitalized patients in the Clinical Emergency Department of The Regional Specialist Hospital in Olsztyn (SKOR WSS, emergency department (ED)) and the Pediatric Emergency Department of the Provincial Specialist Children′s Hospital in Olsztyn (SORD WSSD, pediatric emergency department (PED)) between years 2013 to 2018. The patient records related to their general symptoms at admission, mental state and laboratory diagnostic tests were evaluated. Results: The majority of patients hospitalized due to the suspected use of NPS were adolescents in 2013–2016 and a reversal of this trend was observed in 2017–2018 when number of adults admitted to the emergency department (ED) due to NPS use was higher. The NPS abuse was significantly higher among male patients, alcoholics, people using other psychoactive substances, patients suffering from mental disorders and teenagers in difficult socio-economic family situations. Whereas, the most common symptoms among pediatric patients were co-ordination disorder and aggression, in adults mainly tachycardia and aggression was observed. The laboratory tests in significant number of adult patients showed leukocytosis and ketonuria. Conclusions: In the present study, no unambiguous toxidrome or biochemical pattern characteristic for using NPS was observed. However, evaluation of blood morphology, coagulation parameters, liver and kidney function can be helpful in the diagnostic and therapeutic process. Symptomatic treatment of patients, fluid therapy and sedation was sufficient in most cases to resolve the patient symptoms in 48 h.

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