Missed Opportunities in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Emergency Departments of Governmental Hospitals” Clinical Audit
Date
2022-05-11
Authors
Raghad Abd Allateef Lahlooh
Treq Salah Jarrar
Hatem Khammash
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Al-Quds University, Deanship of Scientific Research
Abstract
Background: Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) is the most common anemia in pediatrics globally. Children from poor socioeconomic status families and whose mothers were iron-deficient during pregnancy are at a higher risk. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), Anemia affects around half of all preschool-aged children globally. IDA is a critical health factor for their motor and neurodevelopment. And since the majority of cases are asymptomatic, this puts the responsibility on healthcare workers to diagnose and treat it. Previous studies stated that it is unknown how many newborns and children are getting checked as recommended. Screening does not take place due to high cost and young’s discomfort from blood tests. Infants and children with infectious diseases visit emergency departments, and a large percent of them have a Complete Blood Count (CBC). This is an excellent opportunity to screen for anemia. However, physicians are likely to be mainly concerned with the white cell count.