Improving Pediatric Readiness Scores of General Emergency Departments: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Background: Preparedness of general emergency departments (EDs) to manage pediatric patients varies widely, with gaps in quality affecting outcomes. Weighted Pediatric Readiness Scores (WPRSs) quantify readiness, yet evidence on interventions to improve WPRSs is limited.
Objective: To systematically evaluate the impact of interventional measures on improving WPRSs of general EDs.
Data sources: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, PsycINFO, Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews, and CINAHL were searched from inception through April 2025.
Study eligibility criteria, participants, and interventions: Non-randomized controlled (pre and post designs and/or studies with comparison groups) English-language studies conducted in general EDs serving pediatric patients that implemented interventions to improve WPRSs were included.
Study appraisal and synthesis methods: Two independent reviewers conducted eligibility screening, quality assessments, data extraction, and risk of bias evaluation using ROBINS-I and GRADEpro certainty assessments. A third reviewer resolved discrepancies.
Results: Of the 5635 papers screened, 5 met the eligibility criteria. Five key interventions were identified-customized performance reports, online resources, simulations, expert consultations, and a pediatric toolkit. Across studies, the WPRSs increased from 12.9% to 17.1%, representing a rise from a baseline of 53.8% to 80%. Evidence certainly was rated as moderate.
Limitations: The key limitations include heterogeneity of…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- The Matrisome: In Silico Definition and In Vivo Characterization by Proteomics of Normal and Tumor Extracellular Matrices
- The Escherichia coli MG1655 in silico metabolic genotype: Its definition, characteristics, and capabilities
- In silico pharmacology for drug discovery: methods for virtual ligand screening and profiling
- In silico prediction of splice-altering single nucleotide variants in the human genome
- In silico clinical trials: how computer simulation will transform the biomedical industry
- In silico optimization of a guava antimicrobial peptide enables combinatorial exploration for peptide design
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.