Better Prepared Emergency Departments Could Save Children's Lives

Medically reviewed by Judith Stewart, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 28, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 28, 2024 -- Implementing high pediatric readiness for all U.S. emergency departments is highly cost-effective and would lower mortality among young patients, according to a study published in the October issue of Health Affairs.

Christopher Weyant, Ph.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of increasing emergency department pediatric readiness, using a decision-analytic simulation model. Clinical and cost data were pulled from 7.9 million children receiving emergency services at 747 emergency departments in 11 states.

The researchers found that increasing emergency department pediatric readiness would cut deaths among young patients seeking emergency care by 42 percent, yielding 69,100 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for the 11-state cohort. This translated to a cost of $9,300 per QALY gained or $244,000 per life saved. Nationally, achieving high readiness would yield about 194,000 additional discounted life-years and 179,000 additional discounted QALYs. Up-front implementation costs would be approximately $260 million.

"Delivering appropriate, timely care to kids with injuries or acute illnesses can make the difference between complete recovery and many years of disability or childhood death," senior author Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert, Ph.D., also from Stanford University, said in a statement. "We found that the cost of being ready was well below the threshold that people think of as 'value for money' in health care."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords