Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
    • Supplements
    • Publish Supplement
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
    • Supplements
    • Publish Supplement
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers

Discover Pediatric Collections on COVID-19 and Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health

American Academy of Pediatrics

revised

  • 116(1):258
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

Pediatric Care Recommendations for Freestanding Urgent Care Facilities

Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Pediatrics May 1999, 103 (5) 1048-1049; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.103.5.1048
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
Loading
Download PDF

Abstract

Freestanding urgent care centers are increasing as a source of after-hours pediatric care. These facilities may be used as an alternative to hospital emergency departments for the care and stabilization of serious and critically ill and injured children. The purpose of this policy statement is to provide recommendations for assuring appropriate stabilization in pediatric emergency situations and timely transfer to a hospital for definitive care when necessary.

Freestanding urgent care facilities remain a fixture in provision of health services in a managed care environment. Although the Academy does not approve of the routine use of urgent care facilities because it detracts from the medical home concept,1 ,2 the use of these facilities as part of urgent and emergent care systems is increasing in the managed care environment. The term urgent care may imply to the public that a facility is capable of managing critical or life-threatening emergencies. Therefore, these facilities must have the capability to identify patients with emergency conditions, stabilize them, and provide timely access to definitive care should critically ill or injured children need care. Urgent care facilities must have appropriate pediatric equipment and staff trained and experienced to provide critical support for ill and injured children until transferred for definitive care. It is necessary for urgent care facilities to have prearranged access to comprehensive emergency services through transfer and transport agreements to which both facilities adhere. Available and appropriate modes of transport should be identified in advance.

When after-hours urgent care clinics are used as a resource for pediatric urgent care, they should solicit help from the pediatric professional community, and pediatricians should be accessible who are prepared to assist in the stabilization and management of critically ill and injured children. Pediatricians responsible for managing the health care of children may occasionally need to use the resources of urgent care facilities after hours. When such clinics are recommended to patients, pediatricians should be certain that the urgent care center is prepared to stabilize and manage critically ill and injured children.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Urgent Care Facility Emergency Preparedness

  1. The provision of properly trained nursing and allied health personnel consistent with those required for a standby facility as defined by American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for pediatric emergency care facilities.3

  2. Have all necessary resuscitation drugs, equipment, and supplies as detailed in the “Guidelines for Pediatric Equipment and Supplies for Emergency Departments” from the Committee on Pediatric Equipment and Supplies for Emergency Departments, National Emergency Medical Services for Children Resource Alliance.4

  3. Staffing by a physician with training, experience, and skills necessary for pediatric advanced life support.

  4. Prearranged triage, transfer, and transport agreements with a definitive care facility that is capable of providing comprehensive care to ill and injured children.

  5. A mechanism for notifying the primary care physician or another on call health care professional about the treatment given, and arranging for appropriate follow-up with the child's medical home.

  6. An organized and structured quality improvement program that is consistent with the expectations for a standby facility for pediatric emergency care.3

Pediatrician's Role in Urgent Care Facilities

  1. Monitor the quality of pediatric care provided by urgent care facilities used by his/her patients for after-hours care.

  2. Ensure that the urgent care facility has been provided necessary clinical information, and be available to provide consultation when referring a patient.

If freestanding urgent care centers are properly staffed and equipped and have appropriate triage, transfer, and transport guidelines, the safety of children using these services for emergencies can be protected.5

Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine, 1998–1999
  • Robert A. Wiebe, MD, Chairperson

  • Barbara A. Barlow, MD

  • Ronald A. Furnival, MD

  • Barry W. Heath, MD

  • Steven E. Krug, MD

  • Karin A. McCloskey, MD

  • Lee A. Pyles, MD

  • Deborah Mulligan-Smith, MD

  • Timothy S. Yeh, MD

Liaison Representatives
  • Richard M. Cantor, MD

  •  American College of Emergency Physicians

  • Dennis W. Vane, MD

  •  American College of Surgeons

  • Jean Athey, PhD

  •  Maternal and Child Health Bureau

  • David Markenson, MD

  •  National Association of EMS Physicians

Section Liaisons
  • Joseph P. Cravero, MD

  •  Section on Anesthesiology

  • M. Douglas Baker, MD

  •  Section on Emergency Medicine

  • Michele Moss, MD

  •  Section on Critical Care

  • Dennis W. Vane, MD

  •  Section on Surgery

Footnotes

  • The recommendations in this statement do not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as a standard of medical care. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate.

REFERENCES

  1. ↵
    1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Ad Hoc Task Force on Definition of the Medical Home
    (1992) The medical home. Pediatrics. 90:774.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  2. ↵
    American Academy of Pediatrics, Ad Hoc Task Force on Definition of the Medical Home. The medical home statement addendum: pediatric primary health care. AAP News. November 1993
  3. ↵
    1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
    (1995) Guidelines for pediatric emergency care facilities. Pediatrics. 96:526–537.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  4. ↵
    1. Committee on Pediatric Equipment and Supplies for Emergency Departments, National Emergency Medical Services for Children Resource Alliance
    (1998) Guidelines for pediatric equipment and supplies for emergency departments. Ann Emerg Med. 31:54–57.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  5. ↵
    1. Zimmerman DR,
    2. Applebaum D
    (1992) Quality of pediatric care at a freestanding emergency facility. Pediatr Emerg Care. 8:265–267.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  • Copyright © 1999 American Academy of Pediatrics
PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics
Vol. 103, Issue 5
1 May 1999
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Pediatric Care Recommendations for Freestanding Urgent Care Facilities
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Pediatric Care Recommendations for Freestanding Urgent Care Facilities
Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Pediatrics May 1999, 103 (5) 1048-1049; DOI: 10.1542/peds.103.5.1048

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Pediatric Care Recommendations for Freestanding Urgent Care Facilities
Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Pediatrics May 1999, 103 (5) 1048-1049; DOI: 10.1542/peds.103.5.1048
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • RECOMMENDATIONS
    • Footnotes
    • REFERENCES
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments

Related Articles

  • Pediatric Care Recommendations for Freestanding Urgent Care Facilities
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Office Preparedness for Pediatric Emergencies: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Office-Based Training Program
  • Regional After-Hours Urgent Care Provided by a Tertiary Children's Hospital
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Disaster Planning for Schools
  • Exposure to Nontraditional Pets at Home and to Animals in Public Settings: Risks to Children
  • Medical Emergencies Occurring at School
Show more AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Emergency Medicine
    • Emergency Medicine
  • Administration/Practice Management
    • Administration/Practice Management
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • Editorial Policies
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors/Reviewers
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Open Access
  • Reviewer Guidelines
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
  • RSS
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics