Introduction: Unlike adult refusal of medical assistance (RMA), pediatric refusal is not initiated by the patient. This lack of autonomy may permit neglect by the guardian through denial of necessary treatment. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether pediatric RMA was associated with suspected abuse or neglect (SAN).
Methods: This was a retrospective single EMS agency cross-sectional analysis of calls between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015 for patients <18 years of age resulting in RMA. Age- and complaint-matched control groups were generated from transported patients during the same time period. Recidivism was defined as 2 or more episodes of RMA involving a single patient during the study period.
Results: A total of 241 calls for service resulted in RMA during the study period, representing 12.7% of all pediatric calls. Information regarding SAN was available for 202 calls. Recidivism was noted in 8 patients (17 calls for service), resulting in 185 unique patients. Twenty-one RMA patients (11.4%) were identified as SAN. No difference in SAN status was noted between RMA patients and age-matched controls (21 vs. 24, p = 0.75) and complaint-matched controls (21 vs. 26, p = 0.53). No SAN was identified in the 8 recidivist patients when compared with the 177 non-recidivist patients (0 vs. 21, p = 0.60).
Conclusions: Pediatric SAN patients are not uncommon users of EMS in our service area. Neither RMA nor recidivist RMA was associated with the presence of SAN within our patient population.
Keywords: abuse; emergency medical services; neglect; pediatric; refusal of care.