Hospital and Emergency Department Pediatric Capability, Patient Characteristics, and Radiology Imaging for Children

How do hospital and emergency department pediatric capabilities change the association between patient insurance status, race and ethnicity, and judicious radiology imaging?In this cohort study comprising 857 034 total emergency department visits among children with asthma, head trauma, or abdominal trauma, pediatric capability was associated with differences in imaging utilization overall, but not with changes in the pattern of association between insurance status or race and ethnicity and imaging utilization.This study suggests that additional efforts are needed to ensure that efforts to enhance pediatric capabilities address both the quality and equity of care.

Corresponding Author: Margaret E. Samuels-Kalow, MD, MPhil, MSHP, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 125 Nashua St, Ste 920, Boston, MA 02114 (msamuels-kalow@mgb.org).

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