Children With Medical Complexity in The Emergency Department: A Case Based Guide

Emergency medicine (EM) physicians practicing in the community are often the first providers to care for acutely ill children with medical complexity (CMC) as they arrive to their local emergency departments, which are often outside of major cities and may be in underserved areas. While many of these patients are ultimately transferred to tertiary care facilities at major medical centers such as theirs, EM physicians play a critical role in acutely stabilizing these patients prior to transfer or discharge home. This is despite often not having received specific education in this patient population during their training.

Emergency medicine (EM) physicians practicing in the community are often the first providers to care for acutely ill children with medical complexity (CMC) as they arrive to their local emergency departments, which are often outside of major cities and may be in underserved areas. While many of these patients are ultimately transferred to tertiary care facilities at major medical centers such as theirs, EM physicians play a critical role in acutely stabilizing these patients prior to transfer or discharge home. This is despite often not having received specific education in this patient population during their training.