Australian Emergency Department Doctors and Nurses' Perspectives on the Duration of Persistent Tachycardia in Children

TL;DR

This study investigates how long Australian emergency department clinicians consider a child's fast heart rate to be persistent, finding significant variation in their responses.

Contribution

The study identifies differing time thresholds for persistent tachycardia among emergency clinicians, impacting early illness recognition.

Findings

60.9% of respondents considered tachycardia persistent after 2 hours.

94.3% considered it persistent after 4 hours.

Doctors more frequently selected 2 hours compared to nurses.

Abstract

To explore time thresholds for ‘persistent tachycardia’ in children among Australian emergency department clinicians.

Online cross‐sectional survey of emergency department clinicians. Respondents were asked to indicate the duration in hours they considered that a tachycardia in a child would be classified as ‘persistent’.

Among 499 respondents, 304 (60.9%) identified tachycardia as ‘persistent’ by 2 h, and 471 (94.3%) by 4 h; the most common response was 2 h (147 (51.2%) doctors; 78 (36.8%) nurses).

Time based thresholds for ‘persistent tachycardia’ differ. This has implications for its use in rapid‐response systems and early recognition of serious illness.

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