PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 2 February 2004, pp. 420
Pediatric Care in the Emergency Department
Roger J. Lewis, MD, PhD on behalf of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Board of Directors
On April 3, 2003, the Executive Committee approved Academy Endorsement of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) joint position statement on emergency care of children.1 This endorsement will apply for 5 years unless sooner retired or revised by the SAEM.
POSITION STATEMENT. Physicians are certified in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) or the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM), or those who are certified in pediatric emergency medicine by ABEM or the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), possess the knowledge and skills required to provide quality emergency medical care to children. To provide quality care, the emergency physician must have all necessary and age-appropriate medical equipment readily available. The emergency physician must also have access via consultation, admission, or transfer, to appropriate specialty and subspecialty physicians, to who will provide any needed patient care after emergency department treatment. Although physically separate care areas for children are ideal, they are not mandatory to provide high-quality care.
SOURCE
- Lewis, RJ. The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine position on pediatric care in the emergency department.
Acad Emerg Med.2003; 10
:1299
. Available at: www.aemj.org/cgi/content/full/10/11/1299[Medline]
PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
