Emergency pediatric patients and use of the pediatric assessment triangle tool (PAT): a scoping review

• Published in: BMC emergency medicine Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 158 - 14
• Main Authors: Tørisen, Tore A G, Glanville, Julie M, Loaiza, Andres F, Bidonde, Julia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 04.09.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Child; Children; Children; emergency medicine; review; Emergency medical care; Emergency Medical Services; Emergency medicine; Emergency service; Emergency Service, Hospital; Health aspects; Health care; Hospitals; Humans; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Patients; Pediatric assessment triangle; Pediatric emergencies; Pediatrics; Pediatrics or paediatric; Psychometrics; Quantitative psychology; Pediatric assessment triangle; Pediatrics or paediatric; Children; emergency medicine; review
• ISSN: 1471-227X; 1471-227X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12873-024-01068-w

We conducted a scoping review of the evidence for the use of the Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) tool in emergency pediatric patients, in hospital and prehospital settings. We focused on the psychometric properties of the PAT, the reported impact, the setting and circumstances for tool implementation in clinical practice, and the evidence on teaching the PAT. We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and registered the review protocol. We searched MEDLINE, PubMed Central, the Cochrane Library, Epistemonikos, Scopus, CINAHL, Grey literature report, Lens.org, and the web pages of selected emergency pediatrics organizations in August 2022. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data from eligible articles. Fifty-five publications were included. The evidence suggests that the PAT is a valid tool for prioritizing emergency pediatric patients, guiding the selection of interventions to be undertaken, and determining the level of care needed for the patient in both hospital and prehospital settings. The PAT is reported to be fast, practical, and useful potentially impacting overcrowded and understaff emergency services. Results highlighted the importance of instruction prior using the tool. The PAT is included in several curricula and textbooks about emergency pediatric care. This scoping review suggests there is a growing volume of evidence on the use of the PAT to assess pediatric emergency patients, some of which might be amenable to a systematic review. Our review identified research gaps that may guide the planning of future research projects. Further research is warranted on the psychometric properties of the PAT to provide evidence on the tool's quality and usefulness. The simplicity and accuracy of the tool should be considered in addressing the current healthcare shortages and overcrowding in emergency services. Open Science Framework; 2022. https://osf.io/vkd5h/.