WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Ninety-four percent of U.S. hospital emergency rooms are not equipped to care for children, which does not bode well as H1N1 flu spreads, pediatric experts say.

In a joint policy statement published in the journal Pediatrics, "Guidelines for Care of Children in the Emergency Department," pediatric emergency medicine specialists and others provide recommendations for appropriate equipment, training, medications and policies for pediatric emergency care.

"Children account for 20 percent of all emergency department visits, yet most hospitals are unprepared to provide appropriate care," Dr. Joseph L. Wright, senior vice president of the Child Health Advocacy Institute at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, said in a statement.

"The potential widespread impact of the novel H1N1 strain of influenza underscores the urgency to ensure that our kids receive the best care when they come to their community hospital's emergency department."

Examples of appropriate care can include the size of equipment, such as tubes for intubation and ready access to specialists like pediatric anesthesiologists, Wright says.

"The existence of specific policies and procedures to address the needs of children and families, particularly in times of surge, are also critically important," the policy statement said.



Copyright 2009 by United Press International

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