Presenter Profile
Kristyn Jeffries, MD, MPH
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Arkansas Children's Hospital
kmelchiors@uams.edu
Dr. Kristyn Jeffries is an assistant professor in pediatrics at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and an attending physician in pediatric hospital medicine at Arkansas Children's Hospital. She completed medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine followed by pediatrics residency at University of Alabama in Birmingham and pediatric hospital medicine fellowship at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. She is co-chair of the Injury Free Social Media committee and helps manage the Injury Free Instagram. She currently serves as the medical director of Infant Child Death Review at Arkansas Children's, a member of the Trainees for Child Injury Prevention Alumni committee, and serves on the Arkansas AAP Chapter Board of Directors. She is passionate about injury prevention and advocacy, and loves when she can share these passions with trainees.
Presentations
A Retrospective Study of Pediatric Snakebites in the United States, 2016-2022, Using the Pediatric Hospital Information System (PHIS) Database
Kristyn Jeffries, MD, MPH
Sara Sanders, MD
Brittany Slagle, DO
Charalene Fisher, MD
Dustin Williford, MD
Jacob Filipek, MD
Maxwell Taylor, MD
Rachel Ekdahl, MD
Rebecca Cantu, MD, MPH
Nearly 5000 snake bite injuries are reported to United States (U.S.) poison centers annually, with 30% of those injured being younger than 19 years of age. With limited quantities of antivenin available nationally, it is important that these resources be preferentially allocated to areas with higher incidence of snake bite injuries. The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence, patient characteristics and outcomes of pediatric hospitalizations related to snake bites in the U.S.
This retrospective cross-sectional study used the Pediatric Hospital Information System (PHIS) database to identify children 0-21 years old with hospital encounters for snake bites from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2022. Data elements collected included sex, race and ethnicity, intensive care unit (ICU) charge flag, urbanicity, U.S. region, disposition, severity of illness, length of stay, and antivenin administration. U.S. regions were categorized based on the United States Census Bureau Regions and Divisions. Frequencies and Chi-Square analysis were used to characterize the populations.
There were 2,663 pediatric encounters for snake bites included in the study population, with patients primarily being male (61%), living in a Southern state (82%) and with a median age of 9.3 years (IQR: 5.5-13.1). Almost 82% of the patients were hospitalized for their injuries and 52% received antivenin at the children's hospital. Admitted children were significantly younger (p<0.0003) and more likely to live in non-urban zip codes (p<0.01), despite the majority of the study population having urban zip codes (72%). Rural children were also more likely to receive antivenin (p<0.01) than urban children.
There is significant variation in pediatric snake bites by U.S. region and rurality. Barriers to access to healthcare and antivenin may have led to more severe illness and subsequent hospitalization for injured rural children. Our findings could be helpful in directing allocations of antivenin and education about pediatric snake bite management to hospitals in areas with higher volumes of pediatric snake bites.
1. There was variation in patient characteristics and outcomes of pediatric hospitalizations related to snake bites in the United States.
2. A majority of children were hospitalized for their injuries and lived in Southern states.
3. Rural children were more likely to be admitted and receive antivenin.
Abstract to Publication: A 7-year analysis of abstract presentations at Injury Free Coalition for Kids Annual Conference
Kristyn Jeffries, MD, MPH
Kathy Monroe, MD, MSQI
The annual Injury Free Coalition for Kids (IFCK) conference is an important way for injury prevention researchers to disseminate their research. This study sought to identify the publication rate of abstracts accepted to the IFCK conference and assess factors that influence the likelihood of publication.
We identified abstracts accepted to the 2014-2021 annual IFCK conferences. Presentation formats included lightning round poster and oral presentations. Abstracts published in journals were identified by searching the author and abstract title or keyword in PubMed and Google Scholar. The doctorate status of the presenting author, impact factor at time of publication, and the publication in a journal supplement were catalogued. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regression to determine associations with publication.
Of 258 accepted abstracts from 2014-2021 IFCK conferences, 72% were selected for platform presentations and 49% were subsequently published. Over 50% of published abstracts were published in a journal supplement supported by IFCK. The most common journals for the remainder of published abstracts were Pediatrics (n=6, 4.7%), Clinical Pediatrics (n=5, 3.9%) and Pediatric Emergency Care (n=5, 3.9%). Median journal impact factor for all published abstracts was 2.4 (interquartile range [IQR] 1.9-3.4). Platform presentations had almost twofold higher odds of publication compared to poster presentations (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1, 3.4). Lead authors with doctorate degrees had threefold greater odds of publication than lead authors without doctorate degrees (OR 3.2, 95% CI: 1.9, 5.2). The median time to publication was 10 months (IQR 5-18), excluding those abstracts presented at the 2021 conference.
A high percentage of abstracts accepted for presentation at the IFCK conference are subsequently published, with a large proportion being published in supported journal supplements. This study emphasizes the need for continued support of the journal supplement by IFCK. Increased mentorship, especially for injury prevention researchers without doctorate degrees, should be encouraged to help overcome barriers to publication after presentation at the IFCK conference.
1. To describe the accepted IFCK conference abstracts that are subsequently published
2. To identify factors associated with publication after presentation at IFCK conference
3. To recognize the continued need for mentorship for presenting authors to reach publication