I have tabulated the drug information from the Committee on Drugs’ “Drugs for Paediatric Emergencies”.¹ Both my tabulated version and the original article are supplied below in pdf for download. Many of the drugs are not frequently used in primary care but familiarity with many of them is appropriate, not only because of the odd emergency but there is also anecdotal evidence that emergencies in primary care are becoming more frequent and more serious.
This became self-evident in the peak of the CoVid-19 hysteria, where people were loathe to present to the emergency departments, preferring instead to risk their General Practice clinic for more serious illnesses than they would otherwise. That’s not just my own experience (see here for instance).
Further, knowing a bit about drugs that you do not commonly use also helps to delimit the extent of your own practice and recognise what it is that others, like the ED physician, might get up to. It also helps to better empathise with the patient who may have a recent ED visit or hospitalisation.
There is one caveat, however. The article is two decades old now and while not that much has changed, some things have—like the recommendation for subcutaneous adrenaline (epi), now outdated and given way to intramuscular injection for management of anaphylaxis. Nonetheless, it is a useful table. (You will have to forgive the highlighting. But you can get a fresh copy, if you like, at the url quoted below under “Reference”.).
Reference
Committee on Drugs. “Drugs for Pediatric Emergencies.” .
Downloads
- Drugs for Paed Emergencies – Committee on Drugs
- Summary of the Committee on Drugs’ “Drugs for Paediatric Emergencies” – The Good Doctor
