Miguel Á Villasis-Keever, Jesús H Trujillo-Flores, Angélica Ocaña-Zavaleta, Perla Ma Ortega-Lomelín, Christian A Delaflor-Wagner, Alejandro I Soto-Briseño, Laura A Hernández-Trejo, José A García-Aranda, Daniel Aceves-Villagrán, Hortensia Reyes-Morales, Antonio Rizzoli-Córdoba
{"title":"Effects of 6 months of permanence in an early intervention program on the developmental level of children 18-42 months of age in poverty: cohort study.","authors":"Miguel Á Villasis-Keever, Jesús H Trujillo-Flores, Angélica Ocaña-Zavaleta, Perla Ma Ortega-Lomelín, Christian A Delaflor-Wagner, Alejandro I Soto-Briseño, Laura A Hernández-Trejo, José A García-Aranda, Daniel Aceves-Villagrán, Hortensia Reyes-Morales, Antonio Rizzoli-Córdoba","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000167","DOIUrl":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000167","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Child Care Facilities Program (PEI, for its Spanish acronym) in Mexico targets parents of children aged 1-3 years living in poverty, providing education and care strategies 5 days a week. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a 6-month stay in childcare centers on the developmental levels of children under 4 years old.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A longitudinal, before-and-after study was conducted. Children aged 12-42 months enrolled in the PEI were included in the study. All participants remained in the program for 6 months from the first measurement. The overall and area-specific developmental levels were assessed using the Early Childhood Development Assessment (EDI, for its Spanish acronym) test. The percentages of developmental levels (normal, delayed, and at risk of delay) were compared between the baseline and 6-month assessments using the McNemar test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 1835 children, of whom 52% were male. The age distribution was as follows: 28.1% were 12-24 months old, 48.4% were 25-36 months old, and 23.5% were 37-42 months old. At baseline, 80.5% (n = 1,476) of the children were classified as having normal overall development, 16% had developmental delay, and 3.5% were at risk for delay. After 6 months, the percentage of children with normal development increased to 90.1%, while those with developmental delay and those at risk for delay decreased to 8.7% and 1.2%, respectively. Similar improvements were observed across various developmental areas, except in the knowledge area.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A 6-month stay in childcare centers is beneficial for improving the developmental levels of children under 4 years old, both overall and in motor, language, social, and cognitive areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 Supl 1","pages":"86-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Antonio Rizzoli-Córdoba, Martha C Campos-Maldonado, Víctor H Vélez-Andrade, Christian A Delaflor-Wagner, Laura A Hernández-Trejo, Daniel Aceves-Villagrán, Miguel Á Villasis-Keever
{"title":"Play prescription: intervention delivered at primary health care facilities to promote child development through activities at home.","authors":"Antonio Rizzoli-Córdoba, Martha C Campos-Maldonado, Víctor H Vélez-Andrade, Christian A Delaflor-Wagner, Laura A Hernández-Trejo, Daniel Aceves-Villagrán, Miguel Á Villasis-Keever","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000164","DOIUrl":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000164","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Play is a fundamental component of children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. This study focused on assesses a play-based intervention method to promote overall child development based on parental involvement, delivered at primary care facilities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Quasi-experimental study was conducted with children 24-59 months old, regularly attending the monthly stimulation sessions in primary care facilities in the state of Puebla, Mexico, from November 2015 to April 2016. Play interventions were administered over six sessions each month 1-h length individually for the dyad, included free play time, and each session one activity at home that include the five areas of development and with some materials provided but encouraged to use more available at home. The Child Development Evaluation (EDI) test was administered at baseline, 3 and 6 months after the intervention. A comprehensive data set encompassing demographic variables was collected and analyzed. McNemar test was used to assess developmental changes over time.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The sample consisted of 276 children, 60.5% were male, median age 40 months (interquartile range: 34-46). All participants attend the six sessions and conducted activities daily at home. Overall, the percentage of children with abnormal result with EDI test was 77.2% at baseline and 17.4% final measurement at 6 months (p < 0.001), with mild-delay decreased from 39.9% to 6.9% and high-risk of delay from 37.3% to 10.5%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The play intervention resulted in a clinically and statistically significant improvement in the developmental outcomes of the children, both with normal/abnormal result at baseline.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 Supl 1","pages":"94-100"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The future of children is always today.","authors":"Helia Molina-Milman","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24875/BMHIM.24000172","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 Supl 1","pages":"3-4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Ibarra-Ríos, Federico Franchi, Deneb A Morales-Barquet, Edgar A Jorge-Chang, Carolina Valencia-Contreras, Juvenal Salgado-Valencia, Irma A Coronado-Zarco, Alejandra Sánchez-Cruz, Horacio Márquez-González
{"title":"Use of lung ultrasound to guide surfactant administration and make differential diagnosis during immediate and transitional newborn care in a perinatal hospital.","authors":"Daniel Ibarra-Ríos, Federico Franchi, Deneb A Morales-Barquet, Edgar A Jorge-Chang, Carolina Valencia-Contreras, Juvenal Salgado-Valencia, Irma A Coronado-Zarco, Alejandra Sánchez-Cruz, Horacio Márquez-González","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.25000086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24875/BMHIM.25000086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Lung ultrasound (LU) has proven to be the best method for diagnosing surfactant deficiency (Respiratory Distress Syndrome [RDS]) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) failure; experience in Mexico is limited.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The objective was to determine the usefulness of a LU program and a lung ultrasound score (LUS) for predicting surfactant need in a perinatal hospital. LUS and FiO<sub>2</sub> of patients who received or did not receive surfactant were compared with Mann-Whitney U test. Using LU as the gold standard, FiO<sub>2</sub> thresholds were tested using receiver operating characteristic curves.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>69 newborns (33 weeks [30, 35]; birth weight 1925 [1470, 2590]) were evaluated for differential diagnosis and to determine surfactant needs. 74 studies were performed: 54 for the first dose (14 administrations, 26%) and 20 for re-surfactant (six administrations, 30%). Among the group evaluated for a first dose, LU diagnoses were RDS 30%, transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTRN) 59%, TTN/air leak 6%, TTRN/pleural effusion 1.6%, congenital pneumonia 1.6%, and meconium aspiration syndrome 1.6%. There was a statistically significant difference between the LUS of patients who received the first (12 [10, 12] vs. 6 [5, 6]) and second dose of surfactant (12 [11, 12] vs. 4 [4, 7]). FiO<sub>2</sub> ≥ 30% was found in 34% of patients with TTN pattern in whom CPAP optimization improved all cases. An optimal FiO<sub>2</sub> threshold of 24% was found with an area under the curve of 0.85.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>LU provides very valuable information through pattern recognition and a LUS, allowing differential diagnosis and tailored physiological care.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 Supl 5","pages":"54-60"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145767062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carolina Michel-Macías, José Guadalupe Mantilla-Uresti, Eunice V Serpa-Maldonado, Rogelio Guillén-Torres, Horacio Márquez-González, Daniel Ibarra-Ríos
{"title":"Hemodynamic effects of acute tension pneumothorax in a term newborn. A case report.","authors":"Carolina Michel-Macías, José Guadalupe Mantilla-Uresti, Eunice V Serpa-Maldonado, Rogelio Guillén-Torres, Horacio Márquez-González, Daniel Ibarra-Ríos","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.25000088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24875/BMHIM.25000088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pneumothorax (PTX) occurs more frequently in the neonatal period than in any other period of life. Lung ultrasound (LU) is considered the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment.</p><p><strong>Clinical case: </strong>We describe the case of a term male newborn who developed a tension pneumothorax (tPTX). A quick echocardiographic assessment for post-processing measurements was performed, demonstrating right ventricular failure and elevation of pulmonary vascular resistances as seen in tension physiology, which resolved quickly after drainage.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The right ventricle easily handles varying amounts of preload, but it rapidly decompensates with an acute rise in afterload. LU cannot differentiate PTX from tPTX; however, echocardiographic assessment can.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 Supl 5","pages":"70-74"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145767080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Protective experiences against the impact of childhood adversity between 0-5 years: a scoping review.","authors":"Maribel Vega-Arce, Gastón Núñez-Ulloa","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000185","DOIUrl":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000185","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>La adversidad temprana se ha vinculado a las principales causas de morbilidad y mortalidad en adultos. Su ocurrencia en niños preescolares es frecuente y particularmente nociva. Esta revisión de alcance buscó explorar la evidencia empírica acerca de experiencias protectoras capaces de moderar el impacto de la adversidad experimentada hasta los 5 años de edad en diversas áreas del desarrollo, considerando los desenlaces hasta los 17 años en la salud física y mental, así como aspectos afectivos, cognitivos, comportamentales, sociales y educativos. Para ello se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos PubMed, Medline Complete, Scopus y Web of Science, en junio del 2024. Esto permitió seleccionar nueve artículos (2018-2023). Mediante un análisis temático se identificaron cinco grupos de experiencias protectoras: a) involucramiento parental y bienestar infantil; b) respuestas de aceptación y cercanía a la vinculación parental; c) entorno sociocomunitario protector; d) calidad del entorno escolar, y e) intervenciones y programas focalizados. Esto hace suponer que el impacto de la adversidad temprana puede ser mitigado por medio de experiencias que fortalecen los recursos infantiles para sortear los desafíos a lo largo de la vida. Los resultados obtenidos pueden orientar en el diseño de estrategias de prevención selectiva e indicada con niños y jóvenes expuestos a adversidad temprana, considerando aportes multidisciplinarios simultáneos en contextos familiares, educativos y comunitarios. Futuras investigaciones pueden superar las limitaciones de esta revisión, así como explorar la efectividad de la prevención del impacto de la adversidad temprana.</p><p><p>Early adversity has been linked to the main causes of morbidity and mortality in adults. Its occurrence in preschool children is frequent and particularly harmful. This scoping review sought to explore the empirical evidence about protective experiences capable of moderating the impact of adversity experienced up to 5 years of age in various areas of development, considering outcomes up to 17 years of age in physical and mental health, as well as affective, cognitive, behavioral, social, and educational aspects. For this purpose, a search was conducted in the databases PubMed, Medline Complete, Scopus and Web of Science, in the month of June 2024. This allowed the selection of nine articles (2018-2023). Through a thematic analysis, five clusters of protective experiences were identified: a) parental involvement and child well-being; b) acceptance responses and closeness to parental bonding; c) protective socio-community environment; d) quality of the school environment, and e) targeted interventions and programs. This suggests that the impact of early adversity can be mitigated through experiences that strengthen children’s resources to overcome challenges throughout life. The results obtained can guide the design of selective and indicated prevention strategies with children and youth exposed","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 6","pages":"329-339"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145843594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ricardo Gómez-Martínez, Miguel Á Verdugo-Robles, Graciela López-Márquez, Aldo I Santiago-Aguilar, Hugo Romo-Rubio
{"title":"Osteosarcoma in pre-adolescents: diagnostic interval, metastasis frequency, and treatment abandonment.","authors":"Ricardo Gómez-Martínez, Miguel Á Verdugo-Robles, Graciela López-Márquez, Aldo I Santiago-Aguilar, Hugo Romo-Rubio","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.23000147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24875/BMHIM.23000147","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor, but it is rare before adolescence. The clinical behavior of the tumor that develops in pre-adolescents may differ from that seen during adolescence.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This is a retrospective study of pre-adolescents with osteosarcoma diagnosed in a tertiary-level hospital. The patients were compared with adolescents diagnosed during the same period.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>we analyzed 149 patients (forty-four pre-adolescents). The diagnostic interval median was 7 weeks in pre-adolescents and 12 weeks in adolescents (p = 0.002). Forty-four patients had metastases at diagnosis (ten pre-adolescents) (p = 0.23). Limb-salvage surgery was performed on sixteen patients (two pre-adolescents). Fifty-six patients (thirteen pre-adolescents) abandoned the treatment (p = 0.18). Overall survival was 63 months in pre-adolescents and 52 months in adolescents (p = 0.301).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We only found differences in the diagnostic interval, which was shorter in pre-adolescent patients. Studies with a larger number of pre-adolescents are necessary to determine the differences in the characteristics of the disease in adolescent patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 3","pages":"167-171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144706278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roger De la Cerna-Luna, Walter Chacon-Obregon, Paola Del Carpio-Samaniego, Ana Igei-Chiney, Alvaro Taype-Rondan
{"title":"Characteristics of preterm infants in pediatric rehabilitation at a referral hospital in Peru.","authors":"Roger De la Cerna-Luna, Walter Chacon-Obregon, Paola Del Carpio-Samaniego, Ana Igei-Chiney, Alvaro Taype-Rondan","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000113","DOIUrl":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000113","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Prematurity is associated with a higher risk of disability. However, no studies on this population in rehabilitation settings in Peru have been found. This study aims to describe the characteristics of preterm infants at the Pediatric Rehabilitation Service of Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins (SRP-HNERM).</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Medical records of preterm infants at SRP-HNERM from September 2023 to February 2024 were reviewed. The Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE), General Movements Assessment (GMA), and other outcome measures were used for evaluation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 158 preterm infants were evaluated. During hospitalization, 51.3% were evaluated by a physiatrist, 47.5% received physical therapy, and 51.3% had feeding and swallowing disorders (FSD). After discharge, all patients were evaluated by a physiatrist at SRP-HNERM. Among infants with ≥ 44 weeks of corrected gestational age (CGA), 48.1% showed some degree of developmental delay, with global delay present in 34%. Of those with ≥ 48 weeks of CGA, 54.9% had an optimal HINE score. Normal GMA was observed in 51.2% of infants with ≤ 5 months of CGA. A higher frequency of global developmental delay was found in infants who had FSD during hospitalization and a lower frequency in those who had neonatal jaundice.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Slightly more than half of the preterm infants were evaluated by a physiatrist, had FSD during hospitalization, had an optimal HINE score at ≥ 48 weeks of CGA, and had a normal GMA at ≤ 5 months of CGA. The presence of FSD during hospitalization should alert clinicians to a higher risk of global developmental delay in this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 1","pages":"44-53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143596161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bruna Suda-Rodrigues, Ma Beatriz Ferraz-Cabral da Ponte, Márcio L Duarte, Élcio R Duarte
{"title":"Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck: a case report of an unusual disease.","authors":"Bruna Suda-Rodrigues, Ma Beatriz Ferraz-Cabral da Ponte, Márcio L Duarte, Élcio R Duarte","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000078","DOIUrl":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck is a rare pathology with a prevalence of approximately 1% in females aged 0-16 years. Its prevalence in adults remains unknown. The condition develops due to persistent patency or failed obliteration of the canal of Nuck. Several factors may contribute to its development, including lymphatic disorders, trauma, infection, inflammation, or idiopathic causes. Clinically, it presents as edema in the groin or genital region without additional symptoms. Ultrasonography is the preferred diagnostic modality for hydrocele of the canal of Nuck.</p><p><strong>Case report: </strong>We present the case of a 20-month-old female patient who presented with pain and a \"lump\" in the right inguinal region for 3 days. The patient was diagnosed with type 1 hydrocele of the canal of Nuck through ultrasonography, which was subsequently confirmed during surgery. The patient was discharged on the same day as the procedure and remains asymptomatic.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although rare, hydrocele of the canal of Nuck should be considered in the differential diagnosis of groin or genital region edema presenting without additional symptoms. Its diagnosis can be challenging due to several common differential diagnoses, including indirect inguinal hernia, tumors, cysts, abscesses, and lymphadenopathies, which occur more frequently. Therefore, ultrasonography plays a crucial role in evaluating these differential diagnoses and confirming the hydrocele of the canal of Nuck.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 1","pages":"63-66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143596170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Edmundo Vázquez-Cornejo, Elizabeth Cruz-Cruz, Heriberto Gómez-Gaytán, Daniela de la Rosa-Zamboni, Miriam G Herrera-Segura, Araceli Saldívar-Flores, Olga Morales-Ríos, Juan Garduño-Espinosa
{"title":"Waiting time for pediatric patients to be admitted for elective surgery at a National Pediatric Health Institute in Mexico City.","authors":"Edmundo Vázquez-Cornejo, Elizabeth Cruz-Cruz, Heriberto Gómez-Gaytán, Daniela de la Rosa-Zamboni, Miriam G Herrera-Segura, Araceli Saldívar-Flores, Olga Morales-Ríos, Juan Garduño-Espinosa","doi":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000046","DOIUrl":"10.24875/BMHIM.24000046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Waiting times for elective surgery can be a physically and psychologically distressing experience for patients, affecting their satisfaction and perceptions of service quality. This study aimed to estimate the waiting time for pediatric patients admitted for elective surgery, identify events causing delays, and compare variations in the admission process.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Three cohorts of pediatric patients scheduled for elective surgery were prospectively followed: (A) weekday general surgery admissions, (B) weekday admissions to other surgical specialties, and (C) weekend surgical admissions. The admission process was mapped, timescales of each stage were recorded, and delay incidents were identified through direct non-participant observation after obtaining informed consent or assent.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean waiting time was 6.9 h (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.6-7.2 h) for all scheduled surgical admissions. Patients in cohort B experienced the longest waiting time at 8.1 h (95% CI: 7.7-8.5 h, p < 0.0001). Primary causes of delay included lengthy transfers to the admission area, bed management issues, and limited staff availability during shift changes. Avoidable delays resulted in a mean additional waiting time of 1.4 h.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings suggest that hospital waiting times could be reduced through organizational interventions targeting the main causes of delay and simplifying administrative processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":9103,"journal":{"name":"Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México","volume":"82 1","pages":"35-43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143596253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}