Winter 2020 Edition
University of Alberta Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Providing a vision, guidance, and leadership for high quality research within the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Research Newsletter! This newsletter serves as an update on the activities of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the University of Alberta and provides resources and information that may be of interest to readers.
Questions? Comments? Contact us at pemres@ualberta.ca
Winter 2020 Highlights
Highlight: ongoing PEM study
A study of non-steroidal or opioid analgesia use for children with acute musculoskeletal injuries: the No OUCH trials
Despite decades of pain research in this area, recent evidence confirms that pediatric pain management in the emergency department is still suboptimal. The objective of the No OUCH trials is to determine the effectiveness and safety of a combination of opioid and non-opioid pain medications taken orally (Advil + Tylenol; Advil + Dilaudid; Advil alone) for the pain management of children with an acute musculoskeletal limb injury. The use of a novel study design, the Preference-Informed Complementary Trial Design, empowers families as a key participant in the research and healthcare decision-making process. We have recruited almost 200 participants to date across 6 pediatric emergency departments in Canada!
PEM Research team member of the month: Manasi Rajagopal
Manasi Rajagopal is the Program Lead for the Pediatric Emergency Medicine research team at the University of Alberta. She has been a part of the team for over four years. She enjoys the diversity of projects within the department, and has a keen research interest in pediatric pain management and injury prevention. Manasi graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science in Physiology, and holds a Masters in Biomedical Technology from the University of Calgary.
Pain, pain, go away!
Dr. Samina Ali is a pediatric emergency physician, clinician-scientist, and Professor of Pediatrics & Emergency Medicine at the University of Alberta. Her research is focused on improving the assessment and treatment of children’s pain.
Listen to Dr. Ali discuss a recent article about intranasal pain medicines for emergency department treatment of suspected fractures
New in local research
Ali S, Moodley A, Bhattacharjee A, Chang E, Kabaroff A, Lobay K, Allain D (2018) Prehospital dexamethasone administration in children with croup: a medical record review. Open Access Emerg Med 10: 141-7. doi: 10.2147/OAEM.S168728
More than 80,000 Canadian children get sick with croup every year. If they need to take an ambulance to the hospital, one way to decrease the severity of croup is for the child to receive dexamethasone, which is an oral corticosteroid. It may reduce the likelihood of being admitted to hospital and can reduce the length of stay for those children who are admitted to hospital.
Across Alberta, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) can administer dexamethasone to children with croup on the way to the hospital. This study was the first to examine the clinical impact of the policy which has been in place since 2009. The study sought to understand whether dexamethasone reduced hospital admission rates and lengths of stays when administered prior to arriving at the hospital. To do this, the authors conducted a retrospective medical record review of 188 patient records.
While this study did not find a significant association between dexamethasone administration and hospital admission and length of stay, the authors found that pre-hospital administration of dexamethasone decreased the amount of epinephrine used in the emergency department (ED). This means that patients and families spend less time in the ED, which may improve patient and family satisfaction, increase bed space, and possibly shorten waiting times for others.
PEM Resources Updates
SKIP: Solutions for Kids in Pain
Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP) is a new knowledge mobilization network aimed at improving children’s pain management in Canada. SKIP brings together Canada's world-renowned pediatric pain research community, front-line knowledge user organizations, and end beneficiaries (patients and caregivers). More than 100 Canadian and international partners have joined to put evidence‐based solutions to child pain into practice.
The Stollery is one of SKIP's four regional hubs, along with Children's Healthcare Canada, SickKids, and IWK Health Centre. SKIP Hub Lead Dr. Samina Ali and SKIP Knowledge Broker Dr. Elise Reiter represent the regional hub in Edmonton.
TREKK: Translating Knowledge for Kids
TREKK is a knowledge mobilization network established to address critical knowledge gaps and improve emergency care for children across Canada.
Visit the website for detailed information about how TREKK can help you better manage children's emergencies.
Meet our team!
The PEM Research team is comprised of principal investigators, research coordinators, research nurses, and research assistants.
Photo (from left to right): Kenya Moekena, Mithra Sivakuma, Patricia Canderleria, Neelam Mabood, Manasi Rajagopal, Steven Ainsley, Denise Parsons, Andrea Eaton
Questions, feedback, or comments? Contact pemres@ualberta.ca.
