PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive data about the characteristics of pediatric patients and nursing interventions in Regional Emergency Medical Centers (REMC).
METHODS
A retrospective design was used to examine the medical records of 4,310 children. The clinical data and nursing terminologies of REMC were analyzed using the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC).
RESULTS
Male toddlers dominated the sample. The mean age of the children was 3.51 yr. In more than half of the visits, patients arrived between from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., on a weekday. There were only 189 ambulance transports to REMC, (4.4% of visits). The most frequent injuries were due to falls (28.0%) and contusions (27.3%), but the most common reasons for visits were non-injury (73.4%): fever, cough/shortness of breath, seizures, and abdominal pain. Of the 4,310 visits, 27.8% spent 6-24 hr in the REMC, while 33% resulted in hospital admission and 2.1% in transfer to another hospital. Of the 17,929 nursing interventions, 17,909 elements (99.9%) were classified under NIC. All the listed NIC interventions, however, were not reflected in the level of practice demonstrated by REMC nurses.
CONCLUSION
These results can enhance the understanding of pediatric emergency nursing interventions and can make NIC more applicable.
