Improving Pediatric Resident Preparedness in Psychiatric Emergencies

Introduction: Adolescent aged patients in an inpatient medical setting often have psychiatric comorbidities. Pediatric residents at our local institution reported feeling unprepared when faced with acute psychiatric emergencies on the Adolescent Medicine Unit. The daily safety huddle data from the unit showed that a psychiatric emergency was happening about every 3-4 days. Pediatric residency programs do not routinely include education on psychiatric emergency preparedness. This educational gap may lead to scenarios during which unprepared residents are attempting to manage acutely agitated or violent adolescent patients, placing both patients …