Neurological status in paediatric upper limb injuries in the emergency department – current practice

BMC Research Notes

James S Huntley¹  Andrew G Marsh¹  James S Robertson¹ 

[1] Orthopaedic Department, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, University Glasgow, Yorkhill, Glasgow, G3 8SJ, UK

关键词: Musculoskeletal;    Clinical Assessment;    Paediatric Emergency Medicine;    Paediatric Injury;    Trauma;   

Others  :  1166229
DOI  :  10.1186/1756-0500-5-324

 received in 2012-03-05, accepted in 2012-06-22,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

In upper limb injuries it is important to assess associated neurological injury. The aim of this study was to assess the initial (Emergency Department (ED)) documentation of neurological status in paediatric patients presenting with upper limb injuries.

Findings

Case notes of paediatric patients admitted to the orthopaedic ward with upper limb injuries were retrospectively collected over a three month period. Initial ED documentation was recorded and case notes examined for any neurological deficit on admission. Of the 121 patients, 107 (88.4%) of case notes had some form of neurological documentation. The remaining case notes (n = 14, 11.6%) had no mention of neurological examination. There were 10 (8.2%) patients with pre-operative neurological deficits identified; none of these had been previously identified by the ED.

Conclusion

There are failings of neurological documentation on the part of ED staff. It is likely that these reflect a knowledge deficit in the examination of the injured upper limb in paediatric patients.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Robertson et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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