Table 3PECARN Risk Factors for the Enrolled Patients (N = 971)

PECARN risk factorsaUsual care (n = 478)Decision aid (n = 493)
No. (%)No. (%)
<2 yb (n = 232)
 Presence of occipital, temporal, or parietal scalp hematoma
  No85 (17.8)92 (18.6)
  Yes23 (4.8)32 (6.5)
 Loss of consciousness ≥5 s
  No94 (19.7)116 (23.5)
  Yes13 (2.7)7 (1.4)
  Unknown1 (0.2)1 (0.2)
 Severe mechanism (PECARN definition)a
  No51 (10.7)39 (7.9)
  Yes57 (11.9)83 (16.8)
  Unknown0 (0.0)2 (0.4)
 Acting abnormally per parent
  No74 (15.5)90 (18.2)
  Yes34 (7.1)34 (6.9)
2-18 yb (n = 739)
 Any loss of consciousness
  No266 (55.8)260 (52.6)
  Yes88 (18.4)93 (18.8)
  Unknown15 (3.1)17 (3.4)
 Any vomiting since injury
  No195 (40.9)199 (40.3)
  Yes174 (36.5)171 (34.6)
 Severe mechanism (PECARN definition)a
  No270 (56.6)272 (55.1)
  Yes98 (20.5)96 (19.4)
  Unknown1 (0.2)2 (0.4)
 Severe headache in ED
  No279 (58.5)295 (59.7)
  Yes88 (18.4)71 (14.4)
  Unknown2 (0.4)4 (0.8)
 No. of PECARN variables present
  1380 (79.5)400 (81.1)
  298 (20.5)93 (18.9)

Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; PECARN, Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network.

aPatients with the 2 PECARN high-risk factors (signs of altered mental status [agitation, somnolence, repetitive questioning, or slow response to verbal communication] or Glasgow Coma Scale <15) were excluded.

bParticipants are reported as <2 years and 2 to 18 years because most children less than age 2 are preverbal, and there are 2 separate PECARN prediction rules for each age group, each of which has unique predictors.

From: Using a Decision Aid in the Emergency Room to Help Parents of Children with Head Trauma Understand Options for Diagnosing Brain Injury

Cover of Using a Decision Aid in the Emergency Room to Help Parents of Children with Head Trauma Understand Options for Diagnosing Brain Injury
Using a Decision Aid in the Emergency Room to Help Parents of Children with Head Trauma Understand Options for Diagnosing Brain Injury [Internet].
Hess EP, Shah N, Westphal J, et al.
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