Chapter 12 Head and Spinal Injuries. Head Injuries Scalp wounds Skull fracture Brain injuries.
Reducing Head CT Use for Children With Head Injuries in a ... · with head injuries in both the...
Transcript of Reducing Head CT Use for Children With Head Injuries in a ... · with head injuries in both the...
Reducing Head CT Use for Children With Head Injuries in a Community Emergency DepartmentRebecca M. Jennings, MD, a, b Jennifer J. Burtner, MD, c Joseph F. Pellicer, MD, c Deepthi K. Nair, MS, b Miranda C. Bradford, MS, b Michele Shaffer, PhD, b Neil G. Uspal, MD, d Joel S. Tieder, MD, MPHa, b
Divisions of aGeneral Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine and dEmergency Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle,
Washington; bCenter for Clinical & Translational Research,
Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington;
and cProvidence St Peter Hospital Emergency Department,
Olympia, Washington
Dr Jennings conceptualized and designed the
study, performed and supervised the primary data
abstraction, and drafted the initial manuscript;
Drs Burtner, Pellicer, and Uspal helped design and
implement the quality improvement initiative
and reviewed and revised the manuscript;
Ms Nair designed the data collection instruments,
coordinated and supervised data collection, and
reviewed and revised the manuscript; Ms Bradford
performed data analysis and reviewed and revised
the manuscript; Dr Shaffer helped to plan the data
analysis and reviewed and revised the manuscript;
Dr Tieder provided leadership for the design
and implementation of the quality improvement
initiative and critically reviewed the manuscript;
and all authors approved the fi nal manuscript as
submitted.
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-1349
Accepted for publication Oct 24, 2016
Address correspondence to Rebecca M. Jennings,
MD, M/S FA.2.115, PO Box 5371, Seattle, WA 98145-
5005. E-mail: [email protected]
PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online,
1098-4275).
Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of
Pediatrics
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have
indicated they have no fi nancial relationships
relevant to this article to disclose.
Pediatric head trauma is a common
reason to seek emergency department
(ED) care in the United States,
accounting for 650 000 visits per
year. 1 Patients with head trauma
present a diagnostic challenge.
Clinicians need to quickly identify
serious traumatic brain injuries
(TBIs) while limiting the radiation
exposure, sedation risk, and cost
from unnecessary head computed
tomography (CT). Children are
particularly susceptible to the
carcinogenic properties of radiation;
it is estimated that 1 case of leukemia
results from every 5250 head CT scans
performed on children <5 years old. 2
The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied
Research Network (PECARN) created
a validated prediction rule to identify
pediatric patients with blunt head
trauma at very low risk of clinically
important TBI (ci-TBI), who can safely
abstractBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Clinical decision rules have reduced use of computed
tomography (CT) to evaluate minor pediatric head injury in pediatric
emergency departments (EDs). CT use remains high in community EDs,
where the majority of children seek medical care. We sought to reduce the
rate of CT scans used to evaluate pediatric head injury from 29% to 20% in
a community ED.
METHODS: We evaluated a quality improvement (QI) project in a community ED
aimed at decreasing the use of head CT scans in children by implementing
a validated head trauma prediction rule for traumatic brain injury. A
multidisciplinary team identified key drivers of CT use and implemented
decision aids to improve the use of prediction rules. The team identified and
mitigated barriers. An affiliated children’s hospital offered Maintenance
of Certification credit and QI coaching to participants. We used statistical
process control charts to evaluate the effect of the intervention on monthly
CT scan rates and performed a Wald test of equivalence to compare
preintervention and postintervention CT scan proportions.
RESULTS: The baseline period (February 2013–July 2014) included 695
patients with a CT scan rate of 29.2% (95% confidence interval, 25.8%–
32.6%). The postintervention period (August 2014–October 2015) included
651 patients with a CT scan rate of 17.4% (95% confidence interval,
14.5%–20.2%, P < .01). Barriers included targeting providers with variable
pediatric experience and parental imaging expectations.
CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that a Maintenance of Certification QI project
sponsored by a children’s hospital can facilitate evidence-based pediatric
care and decrease the rate of unnecessary CT use in a community setting.
QUALITY REPORTPEDIATRICS Volume 139 , number 4 , April 2017 :e 20161349
To cite: Jennings RM, Burtner JJ, Pellicer JF,
et al. Reducing Head CT Use for Children With Head
Injuries in a Community Emergency Department.
Pediatrics. 2017;139(4):e20161349
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
JENNINGS et al
be evaluated without a CT scan. 3
The PECARN guidelines identify
multiple risk factors for ci-TBI for
patients with minor head trauma
(eg, severe mechanism of injury,
loss of consciousness, palpable skull
fracture). Among patients with no
risk factors, the prediction rule has
a high negative predictive value for
ci-TBI of 100.0% for children <2
years old and 99.95% for children ≥2
years old. Since the publication of the
PECARN guidelines, multiple quality
improvement (QI) projects have
achieved significant reduction in
head CT scan rates for pediatric head
injury in academic pediatric EDs, 4, 5
but there have not been similarly
reported efforts in community
settings. It is important to address
head CT use in general EDs because
89% of emergency visits in the
United States for patients <14 years
old are in general EDs 6 and head CT
scan rates are significantly higher
among patients who present to
general EDs (22%) compared with
pediatric EDs (13%).7, 8
Leaders in the study hospital’s
pediatric department and ED
identified pediatric head CT use as
an area for improvement because
the baseline head CT scan rate
was significantly higher than the
rate observed at other general
EDs. 8 The goal of reducing head CT
scans aligned with the Washington
State Hospital Association 100K
Children Campaign, whose aim
is to reduce pediatric radiation
exposure in Washington hospitals. 9
We established a multidisciplinary
team, including nurses, general
pediatricians, and ED physicians, to
identify key drivers of CT use and
implement decision aids to improve
the use of head trauma prediction
rules for pediatric TBI. We used the
Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
Multispecialty Portfolio Program
from an affiliated academic children’s
hospital to provide support and
coaching for the QI project. The aim
was to reduce the rate of head CT
scans for the evaluation of pediatric
head injury in a general ED from
the current median rate of 29% to a
goal median rate of 20% within 12
months.
METHODS
Specifi c Aim
The specific aim of the project was
to reduce the head CT scan rate
among pediatric patients with head
trauma from 29% to 20% within
12 months. We chose 20% because
it is near the published national
average for general EDs. 8 Primary
drivers identified for implementation
of evidence-based care were ED
provider knowledge of head trauma
prediction rules, standard decision
process for CT imaging, and effective
caregiver education about head
trauma and imaging ( Fig 1).
Setting
Providence St Peter Hospital is a
community hospital in Olympia,
Washington, 60 miles from Seattle,
with 12 000 pediatric visits per
year. It is staffed by 24 emergency
medicine and family medicine
trained physicians and 7 physician
assistants (PAs). The PAs see less
acute patients. They see patients
independently and consult with the
ED physicians if they need guidance.
Pediatric hospitalists contracted with
Seattle Children’s Hospital provide
24-hour in-hospital consultation.
The closest pediatric neurosurgical
consultant is 28 miles away.
Seattle Children’s American Board
of Medical Specialties Multispecialty
MOC Portfolio Program was
accredited in 2012 and maintains a
portfolio of approved MOC projects
aimed at improving health outcomes
for children in the Pacific Northwest.
The program provides MOC credit
to >200 physicians per year from
multiple specialties.
The Providence Institutional Review
Board approved this study and
waived participant consent.
Planning the Intervention
We convened a multidisciplinary
team that included leaders (nurses
and physicians) from the ED, trauma
team, pediatric department, and
a regional pediatric hospital MOC
portfolio program. The project
was led by a pediatric hospitalist
and a general ED physician. Seattle
Children’s MOC Portfolio program
provided QI consultation, and
participants were eligible for MOC
credit. The team evaluated the impact
of the interventions on patients <18
years old who presented to the ED
with head injury from February
2013 to October 2015. Improvement
performance, overall and by
individual clinician, was evaluated
monthly via annotated statistical
process control (SPC) charts.
Improvement Activities
Provider Education
The team met and developed
interventions, or secondary drivers,
to address the primary drivers. The
team created an evidence-based
decision support tool, or clinical
protocol, that was adapted from
the PECARN prediction rule. This
protocol was finalized through
feedback with key stakeholders at
multiple planning meetings in July
2014. The QI initiative was then
launched for the ED physicians
during an initial educational meeting
in August 2014, where the PECARN
prediction rule was reviewed and the
new clinical protocol was introduced.
The clinical protocol was posted on
a laminated sheet at each physician
workstation in the ED. Laminated
pocket-sized cards were distributed
to all physicians and PAs. To address
caregiver education, we discussed
possible scripts to use when
discussing head injuries, concussions,
and the role for CT scans with
patients and caregivers.
e2 by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
PEDIATRICS Volume 139 , number 4 , April 2017
Performance Data
Baseline CT scan rates were reviewed
and compared with national averages
at the stakeholder and ED provider
meetings. The project’s progress was
reviewed every 3 to 4 months at ED
provider meetings, and barriers to
implementation were addressed. An
annotated run chart was updated
monthly, publicly posted in a
common area of the ED, and e-mailed
to providers. Semiannually, clinicians
were privately provided with their
personal CT use rates, benchmarked
to other providers in the group on
a deidentified chart. Only providers
who had treated ≥5 patients
with head injuries in both the
preintervention and postintervention
periods were included.
Subject Identifi cation
We performed a retrospective
medical record review on eligible
subjects during the preintervention
period (February 1, 2013 to July 31,
2014) and postintervention period
(August 1, 2014 to October 31,
2015). We included patients <18
years old at the time of presentation
to the ED with an International
Classification of Diseases, Ninth
Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-
9-CM) discharge diagnosis code
indicating head trauma (head injury
[959.01], concussion [850.xx],
skull fracture [800.xx–804.xx],
intracranial hemorrhage [851.xx–
853.xx], or other brain injury
[854.xx]). 7 For patients discharged
in October 2015, the International
Classification of Diseases, 10th
Revision discharge codes of
S06.0X0A, S06.0X1A, S06.9X1A,
e3
FIGURE 1Key driver diagram for reduction of head CT scans for pediatric patients with head injury in a community ED.
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
JENNINGS et al
S09.8XXA, and S09.90XA were
used. Patients with an ICD-9-CM
discharge code indicating comorbid
conditions that might increase
risk for bleeding or brain injury
were excluded. Excluded ICD-9-CM
discharge codes were hemophilia
(286.xx), thrombocytopenia
(287.xx), and ventriculoperitoneal
shunt (V45.2). For October 2015,
the International Classification of
Diseases, 10th Revision discharge
codes of D65–D69.XXX, P54, P61.0,
and Z98.2 were used.
Outcome Assessment
The primary outcome of interest
was the rate of cranial CT imaging
among eligible patients. Covariates
included race, age, sex, and
insurance status (public versus
private). Balancing measures
were readmissions within 72
hours to the index ED to assess
missed cases of ci-TBI, and length
of stay (LOS) to assess changes in
resource utilization. Patients with
an LOS >12 hours were excluded
from the LOS analysis if they were
evaluated by the crisis counselor
for psychiatric comorbidity
after their initial evaluation for
head trauma. The provider was
considered the assigned attending
provider listed in the electronic
medical record (EMR) encounter.
If a patient was evaluated by both
a PA and a physician, the physician
was assigned the role of attending
provider.
Data Analysis
We summarized sample
characteristics by using
appropriate descriptive statistics
for quantitative (mean and SD or
median and interquartile range
[IQR]) and categorical (counts
and percentages) variables. We
calculated preintervention and
postintervention proportions for
CT head imaging. We estimated
95% confidence intervals (CIs)
for CT scan proportions by
using a logit transform and
Huber–White sandwich variance
estimates to account for within-
subject correlation due to repeat
admissions (<5% of patients)
and performed a Wald test of
equivalence for preintervention
and postintervention proportion
estimates. 10, 11 In addition, we
carried out an interrupted
time series analysis based on
autoregressive integrated moving
average models as a sensitivity
analysis to account for potential
secular trends. 12
SPC charts with 1-month time
intervals were constructed to assess
the effect of the intervention on CT
scan rates. We set control limits at 3
SD from the mean and used standard
criteria to identify special causes. 13, 14
Centerline shifts were made when
8 consecutive points fell above or
below the centerline. SPC charts
were constructed with QI Macros
(KnowWare International, Inc,
Denver, CO).
We compared preintervention
and postintervention LOS by
using the Wilcoxon rank-sum
test. For our other balancing
measure, 72-hour readmissions,
we calculated preintervention
and postintervention monthly
readmission proportions.
RESULTS
The baseline period included 695
patients, and the postintervention
period included 651 patients. Four
patients were excluded because
of comorbid conditions (2 in the
preintervention period and 2
in the postintervention period).
The characteristics of our patient
population were similar in the
preintervention and postintervention
groups ( Table 1).
The proportion of head CT scans
declined from 29.2% (95% CI,
25.8%–32.6%) at baseline to
17.4% during the postintervention
period (95% CI, 14.5%–20.2%,
P < .01) ( Fig 2). These results were
consistent with results from the
interrupted time series sensitivity
analysis, which estimated that
monthly CT scan rates dropped
by 12.0% (95% CI, 7.4%–16.5%,
P < .01). Multiple barriers were
identified and addressed by
the team with new or modified
interventions ( Table 2).
The median LOS increased from 1.5
hours in the preintervention period
(IQR 0.9–2.5) to 1.9 hours in the
postintervention period (IQR 1.0–2.8,
P < .01).
There were 13 readmissions
within 72 hours during the study
period, 5 in the preintervention
period and 8 in the postintervention
period. None of these readmissions
were diagnosed with a ci-TBI; 1
patient in the preintervention
period was diagnosed with a
linear, nondisplaced skull
fracture.
During the baseline period,
individual provider rates of head CT
scan usage varied from 4% to 92%.
The majority of providers (22 out
of 28) demonstrated a reduction
in head CT scan rate during the
postintervention period ( Fig 3).
Among physicians, the average
CT scan rate declined from 47.0%
(95% CI, 41.9%–52.1%) at baseline
to 31.4% (95% CI, 26.3%–36.9%)
after intervention, whereas among
PAs the average CT scan rate fell
from 6.6% (95% CI, 4.1%–10.1%)
to 2.5% (95% CI, 1.1%–4.9%).
DISCUSSION
This study demonstrates that
community EDs can implement
evidence-based pediatric care,
particularly when coached by
a regional children’s hospital.
Specifically, we were able to
significantly reduce the rate of head
CT scans in pediatric head injury
e4 by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
PEDIATRICS Volume 139 , number 4 , April 2017
patients in a community ED from
29.2% to 17.4% and sustain this
change over 15 months.
Our project was aided by a
multidisciplinary QI team, with
coaching from an academic center
with more QI expertise. Formal
mentoring has been shown to help
successfully implement evidence-
based recommendations and reduce
variation in care in the community
setting. 15 The educational outreach
by a pediatric ED physician
from a site that had successfully
implemented the PECARN rules
probably helped in the adoption of
the intervention. 16
The majority of providers
improved their rate of CT use,
although variation persisted across
providers. Among providers who
had a higher CT scan rate in the
postintervention period, there
were not identifiable reasons
for the increase. We found that
providing feedback to individual
providers about how their
performance compared with
others within our organization
was beneficial. This feedback was
particularly useful in a community
setting. The pediatric-specific
resources available in community
EDs are often not as robust as
in academic pediatric EDs, and
patient populations may differ.
Our providers preferred feedback
within their peer group, instead
of being benchmarked to external
providers.
We had marked improvement in
ordering rates by PAs. Our PAs see
e5
FIGURE 2SPC chart of the proportion of eligible patients in the ED with head trauma receiving a head CT scan from February 2013 through October 2015. LCL, lower control limit; UCL, upper control limit.
TABLE 2 Characteristics of Patients in the Preintervention and Postintervention Time Periods
Characteristic Preintervention, N = 695 Postintervention, N = 651
Age, median (IQR); range 8 (2–13); 0–17 9 (3–14); 0–17
Race, n (%)
White 550 (79.1) 487 (74.8)
Nonwhite 129 (18.6) 124 (19)
Unknown or refused 16 (2.3) 40 (6.1)
Private insurance, n (%) 314 (45.2) 295 (45.3)
Female sex, n (%) 285 (41.0) 265 (40.7)
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
JENNINGS et al
less acute patients independently,
and we encouraged them to consult
the ED physicians for more acute
patients who may need a CT scan.
PAs can play a critical component in
quality care endeavors and in fact
are now required to incorporate
QI in their MOC process. 17 Our
study demonstrates the importance
of involving nonphysician care
providers in QI processes.
There is a significant lag between
when research is first described
and when it is finally adopted into
clinical practice. 18 Numerous QI
projects in tertiary care pediatric
EDs have sought to increase the use
of evidence-based guidelines. 19 – 21
Yet the majority of pediatric patients
are seen at community hospital
EDs.6 Hospitals that see a smaller
volume of pediatric patients are less
likely to have adopted guidelines to
help guide imaging decision-making
processes for pediatric head trauma
patients. 22 Indeed, head CT scan rates
among pediatric head injury patients
are significantly higher in community
hospitals. 7
There are many barriers to the
adoption of evidence-based pediatric
care in community EDs. Because the
majority of patients seen by general
ED physicians are adults, continuing
medical education programs may
not focus on pediatric care and
there may be no impetus to create
pediatric-specific protocols. The
Joint Commission has implemented
multiple national hospital inpatient
quality core measures, but nearly
all these measures are specific to
adult care. 23 This discrepancy may
lead some community hospitals
to focus all or nearly all of their
QI endeavors on adult care. When
pediatric-specific quality measures
are created, community hospitals
may more readily focus on
pediatric care. We found this
to be the case at our own institution
when the Washington State
Hospital Association included
imaging for pediatric head
trauma among their improvement
efforts. 9 Our community hospital
was able to overcome these
barriers with the help of hospital
leadership support for our
pediatric-specific QI initiative. In
addition, because of the presence
of pediatric hospitalists, we have
hospital-based providers invested
in improving pediatric quality
measures.
Another barrier to the
dissemination of pediatric-
specific evidence encountered
at community hospitals is that
providers may use adult-specific
decision tools for pediatric
patients. We found that before our
intervention, many of our providers
used the Canadian CT Head Rule to
decide whether to image pediatric
patients, even though this decision
tool included only patients ≥16
years old. 24 Pediatric QI efforts
at community hospitals should
emphasize the unique clinical
considerations of pediatric patients
for providers who manage the full
age spectrum. We demonstrate
that the use of pediatric-specific
evidence-based clinical protocols
can improve the use of evidence-
based medicine in community EDs.
The adoption of the PECARN
guidelines is important because
it decreases radiation exposure,
which can lead to cancer, 25
and is cost-effective. Given the
lifetime risk of cancer, imaging is
beneficial only with higher pretest
probability of ci-TBI, such as the
higher-risk patients in the PECARN
guidelines. 26 Unnecessary testing
can lead to incidental findings; of
the patients included in the PECARN
study, 4% who underwent CT scans
were found to have incidental
findings on head CT scans. 27
Incidental findings can result in
additional parental anxiety, testing,
cost, and procedures and often
have unclear clinical significance. 28
Because of the risks associated
with unnecessary testing, many
professional groups have focused
on appropriate use criteria. During
our postintervention period, our
hospital performed 76 fewer CT
scans than we would have if our
preintervention CT scan rate had
continued.
The regional pediatric hospital
facilitated an effective QI project
in a local community hospital by
using MOC credit to encourage
e6
TABLE 1 Barriers to Implementation Identifi ed and Mitigated During Initiative
Barrier Intervention
Discomfort with pediatric
assessment among ED
physicians
1. ED physicians encouraged to consult on-call pediatric hospitalist for
patients with equivocal examination or presentation.
2. PECARN criteria and clinical pathway reviewed at monthly pediatric
hospitalist meeting.
Management of parental
expectations
1. Scripts to use with parents were reviewed at follow-up ED provider
meetings. Providers encouraged to show parents pathway to help
explain risk.
2. Clinical pathway presented at grand rounds with outpatient providers.
Outpatient providers encouraged to explain referral to ED as referral
for additional evaluation, not referral for CT.
Address late adopters 1. Individual provider feedback: ED physicians provided with deidentifi ed
chart to benchmark personal CT scan rate as compared with rest of
group.
Familiarity with PECARN rules 1. Presentation to ED physicians, PAs: Clinical protocol adapted from
PECARN rule and presented at ED physician and PA meetings and grand
rounds.
2. Clinical protocol posted on a laminated sheet at each physician
workstation.
3. Laminated pocket-sized cards with clinical protocol distributed to all
ED physicians and PAs.
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
PEDIATRICS Volume 139 , number 4 , April 2017
participation. Other studies
have shown that offering MOC
credit can increase participation
for QI projects in community
settings. 29 MOC was established
by the American Board of Medical
Specialties to encourage ongoing
improvement in physicians’
knowledge, and improvement
in medical practice to evidence-
based care. 30 In part IV of the
MOC requirements, physicians
participate in approved QI
projects. 29 However, MOC
requirements have been criticized
because they do not always fulfill
practice-specific needs, and
they provide minimal benefit if
not tailored to the practice of
the physician, 30 and so valuable
MOC projects are needed.31
We demonstrate that regional
children’s hospitals can use MOC
requirements to help community
hospitals adopt evidence-based best
practices and improve important
outcomes.
One challenge we encountered was
that we were unable to standardize
the CT ordering process through
a “best practice alert” in the EMR.
Because the community hospital is
part of a larger health system, EMR
changes were difficult to institute.
These changes may have further
decreased our rate of head CT
scans. 32, 33
It is important to note that we
did have a statistically significant
increase in our LOS, 1 of our
balancing measures. This increase
in LOS is probably secondary to
more patients who were observed
after head injury instead of
immediately imaged. The median
LOS increased by only 24 minutes
(from 90 minutes to 114 minutes),
and so the clinical significance of
this increased LOS is unclear. We
think that the benefits of decreased
CT use outweigh the disadvantage
of a longer LOS.
This study has several important
limitations. First, the partnership
with pediatric hospitalists from
the regional pediatric hospital
helped engage and coach multiple
stakeholders in change, and
e7
FIGURE 3CT scan rates for individual providers, among providers who managed ≥5 patients in both the preintervention and postintervention time periods.
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
JENNINGS et al
this assistance is not available
at many community hospitals.
Therefore, our results may not
be generalizable to community
hospitals that do not have pediatric
hospitalist presence. Second,
although we tracked readmissions
within 72 hours to our hospital,
patients may have been readmitted
to other hospitals. There may
be patients with ci-TBIs that
were missed when we evaluated
readmissions. However, with
proper implementation of PECARN,
the rate of missed ci-TBIs is low. 3, 25
In addition, we evaluated only
absolute CT scan rates and did
not evaluate whether PECARN
was appropriately used with
each encounter, because this
analysis was beyond the scope
of this study. Glasgow Coma
Scale scores were not available
in the EMR for the majority of
the included patients, and so we
were unable to limit our study
population to patients with only
minor head injuries, and we were
unable to compare the head injury
severity in the preintervention
and postintervention patient
populations. We have not
yet demonstrated prolonged
sustainability, but we plan to
continue tracking CT scan rates,
monitoring readmissions, and
engaging the ED providers to
maintain change.
CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate that a
multidisciplinary MOC QI project
sponsored by a regional children’s
hospital can decrease the rate
of CT use in the evaluation
of pediatric head injury in a
community setting.
e8
ABBREVIATIONS
CI: confidence interval
ci-TBI: clinically important
traumatic brain injury
CT: computed tomography
ED: emergency department
EMR: electronic medical record
ICD-9-CM: International
Classification of
Diseases, Ninth
Revision, Clinical
Modification
IQR: interquartile range
LOS: length of stay
MOC: Maintenance of
Certification
PA: physician assistant
PECARN: Pediatric Emergency
Care Applied Research
Network
QI: quality improvement
SPC: statistical process control
TBI: traumatic brain injury
FUNDING: All phases of this study were supported by Seattle Children’s Hospital Academic Enrichment Fund.
POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential confl icts of interest to disclose.
REFERENCES
1. Kuppermann N. Pediatric head trauma:
the evidence regarding indications
for emergent neuroimaging. Pediatr
Radiol. 2008;38(suppl 4):S670–S674
2. Miglioretti DL, Johnson E, Williams A,
et al. The use of computed tomography in
pediatrics and the associated radiation
exposure and estimated cancer risk.
JAMA Pediatr. 2013;167(8):700–707
3. Kuppermann N, Holmes JF, Dayan
PS, et al; Pediatric Emergency Care
Applied Research Network (PECARN).
Identifi cation of children at very
low risk of clinically-important
brain injuries after head trauma: a
prospective cohort study. Lancet.
2009;374(9696):1160–1170
4. Bressan S, Romanato S, Mion T,
Zanconato S, Da Dalt L. Implementation
of adapted PECARN decision rule for
children with minor head injury in the
pediatric emergency department. Acad
Emerg Med. 2012;19(7):801–807
5. Nigrovic LE, Stack AM, Mannix RC,
et al. Quality improvement effort to
reduce cranial CTs for children with
minor blunt head trauma. Pediatrics.
2015;136(1). Available at: www.
pediatrics. org/ cgi/ content/ full/ 136/ 1/
e227
6. Gausche-Hill M, Schmitz C, Lewis
RJ. Pediatric preparedness of
US emergency departments:
a 2003 survey. Pediatrics.
2007;120(6):1229–1237
7. Mannix R, Bourgeois FT, Schutzman
SA, Bernstein A, Lee LK. Neuroimaging
for pediatric head trauma: do patient
and hospital characteristics infl uence
who gets imaged? Acad Emerg Med.
2010;17(7):694–700
8. Blackwell CD, Gorelick M, Holmes
JF, Bandyopadhyay S, Kuppermann
N. Pediatric head trauma: changes
in use of computed tomography in
emergency departments in the United
States over time. Ann Emerg Med.
2007;49(3):320–324
9. WA State Hospital Association. 100K
Children Campaign. Available at: www.
wsha. org/ quality- safety/ projects/ 100k-
children- campaign/ . Accessed January
11, 2016
10. Huber PJ. The behavior of
maximum likelihood estimates
under nonstandard conditions. In:
Proceedings of the Fifth Berkeley
Symposium on Mathematical Statistics
and Probability. Vol 1. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press;
1967:221–233
11. White H. A heteroskedasticity-
consistent covariance matrix
estimator and a direct test for
heteroskedasticity. Econometrica.
1980;48(4):817–838
12. Box GEP, Jenkins GM, Reinsel GC. Time
Series Analysis: Forecasting and
Control. 4th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley;
2008
13. Benneyan JC, Lloyd RC, Plsek PE.
Statistical process control as a
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
PEDIATRICS Volume 139 , number 4 , April 2017
tool for research and healthcare
improvement. Qual Saf Health Care.
2003;12(6):458–464
14. Benneyan JC. Use and interpretation of
statistical quality control charts. Int
J Qual Health Care. 1998;10(1):69–73
15. Li J, Hinami K, Hansen LO, Maynard G,
Budnitz T, Williams MV. The physician
mentored implementation model:
a promising quality improvement
framework for health care change.
Acad Med. 2015;90(3):303–310
16. Grol R, Grimshaw J. From best
evidence to best practice:
effective implementation of
change in patients’ care. Lancet.
2003;362(9391):1225–1230
17. Boucher NA, Mcmillen MA, Gould JS.
Agents for change: nonphysician
medical providers and health care
quality. Perm J. 2015;19(1):90–93
18. Trochim W, Kane C, Graham MJ, Pincus
HA. Evaluating translational research:
a process marker model. Clin Transl
Sci. 2011;4(3):153–162
19. Jerardi KE, Elkeeb D, Weiser J,
Brinkman WB. Rapid implementation of
evidence-based guidelines for imaging
after fi rst urinary tract infection.
Pediatrics. 2013;132(3). Available at:
www. pediatrics. org/ cgi/ content/ full/
132/ 3/ e749
20. Murtagh Kurowski E, Shah SS,
Thomson J, et al. Improvement
methodology increases guideline
recommended blood cultures in
children with pneumonia. Pediatrics.
2015;135(4). Available at: www.
pediatrics. org/ cgi/ content/ full/ 135/ 4/
e1052
21. Ambroggio L, Thomson J, Murtagh
Kurowski E, et al. Quality improvement
methods increase appropriate
antibiotic prescribing for childhood
pneumonia. Pediatrics. 2013;131(5).
Available at: www. pediatrics. org/ cgi/
content/ full/ 131/ 5/ e1623
22. Wylie MC, Merritt C, Clark M, Garro
AC, Rutman MS. Imaging of pediatric
head injury in the emergency
department. Pediatr Emerg Care.
2014;30(10):680–685
23. The Joint Commission. Specifi cations
manual for national hospital inpatient
quality measures. Available at: www.
jointcommission. org/ specifi cations_
manual_ for_ national_ hospital_
inpatient_ quality_ measures. aspx.
Accessed August 11, 2016
24. Stiell IG, Wells GA, Vandemheen K, et al.
The Canadian CT Head Rule for patients
with minor head injury. Lancet.
2001;357(9266):1391–1396
25. Nishijima DK, Yang Z, Urbich M, et al.
Cost-effectiveness of the PECARN rules
in children with minor head trauma.
Ann Emerg Med. 2015;65(1):72–80.e6
26. Hennelly KE, Mannix R, Nigrovic
LE, et al. Pediatric traumatic
brain injury and radiation risks: a
clinical decision analysis. J Pediatr.
2013;162(2):392–397
27. Rogers AJ, Maher CO, Schunk JE,
et al; Pediatric Emergency Care Applied
Research Network. Incidental fi ndings
in children with blunt head trauma
evaluated with cranial CT scans.
Pediatrics. 2013;132(2). Available at:
www. pediatrics. org/ cgi/ content/ full/
132/ 2/ e356
28. Jensen MC, Brant-Zawadzki MN,
Obuchowski N, Modic MT, Malkasian
D, Ross JS. Magnetic resonance
imaging of the lumbar spine in people
without back pain. N Engl J Med.
1994;331(2):69–73
29. Gorzkowski JA, Klein JD, Harris DL,
et al. Maintenance of Certifi cation
Part 4 Credit and recruitment for
practice-based research. Pediatrics.
2014;134(4):747–753
30. Cook DA, Holmboe ES, Sorensen KJ,
Berger RA, Wilkinson JM. Getting
maintenance of certifi cation to work:
a grounded theory study of physicians’
perceptions. JAMA Intern Med.
2015;175(1):35–42
31. Levinson W, King TEJ Jr, Goldman L,
Goroll AH, Kessler B. Clinical decisions.
American Board of Internal Medicine
maintenance of certifi cation program.
N Engl J Med. 2010;362(10):948–952
32. Ballard DW, Rauchwerger AS, Reed
ME, et al; Kaiser Permanente CREST
Network. Emergency physicians’
knowledge and attitudes of clinical
decision support in the electronic
health record: a survey-based study.
Acad Emerg Med. 2013;20(4):352–360
33. Sheehan B, Nigrovic LE, Dayan PS,
et al; Pediatric Emergency Care Applied
Research Network (PECARN). Informing
the design of clinical decision support
services for evaluation of children
with minor blunt head trauma
in the emergency department: a
sociotechnical analysis. J Biomed
Inform. 2013;46(5):905–913
e9 by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-1349 originally published online March 2, 2017; 2017;139;Pediatrics
Miranda C. Bradford, Michele Shaffer, Neil G. Uspal and Joel S. TiederRebecca M. Jennings, Jennifer J. Burtner, Joseph F. Pellicer, Deepthi K. Nair,
Emergency DepartmentReducing Head CT Use for Children With Head Injuries in a Community
ServicesUpdated Information &
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/139/4/e20161349including high resolution figures, can be found at:
Referenceshttp://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/139/4/e20161349#BIBLThis article cites 30 articles, 8 of which you can access for free at:
Subspecialty Collections
subhttp://www.aappublications.org/cgi/collection/quality_improvement_Quality Improvement_management_subhttp://www.aappublications.org/cgi/collection/administration:practiceAdministration/Practice Managementsubhttp://www.aappublications.org/cgi/collection/emergency_medicine_Emergency Medicinefollowing collection(s): This article, along with others on similar topics, appears in the
Permissions & Licensing
http://www.aappublications.org/site/misc/Permissions.xhtmlin its entirety can be found online at: Information about reproducing this article in parts (figures, tables) or
Reprintshttp://www.aappublications.org/site/misc/reprints.xhtmlInformation about ordering reprints can be found online:
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-1349 originally published online March 2, 2017; 2017;139;Pediatrics
Miranda C. Bradford, Michele Shaffer, Neil G. Uspal and Joel S. TiederRebecca M. Jennings, Jennifer J. Burtner, Joseph F. Pellicer, Deepthi K. Nair,
Emergency DepartmentReducing Head CT Use for Children With Head Injuries in a Community
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/139/4/e20161349located on the World Wide Web at:
The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is
by the American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 1073-0397. the American Academy of Pediatrics, 345 Park Avenue, Itasca, Illinois, 60143. Copyright © 2017has been published continuously since 1948. Pediatrics is owned, published, and trademarked by Pediatrics is the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A monthly publication, it
by guest on October 1, 2020www.aappublications.org/newsDownloaded from