Organization of pediatric emergencies

摘要

The organization of pediatric emergency rooms (PERs) is a vital component of health care systems. Pediatric emergency room overcrowding is widespread and has reached crisis proportions worldwide.Overcrowding threatens public health by compromising patient safety: one of the most relevant problems in the functioning of PER is represented by the progressive increase in nonurgent consultations. This leads to an increased frequency of medication errors as well as of increased mortality and delayed treatment for patients with time-sensitive conditions. Furthermore, inadequate inpatient capacity for a population with an increasing severity of illness (eg, chronic diseases, partly due to the increased quality of care of premature babies) is observed in developed countries.