An animated video is highly effective for educating parents about the appropriate use of antibiotics in the emergency department setting and results in long-term knowledge retention. The results of this study provide a foundation to further evaluate the use of animated video in additional populations.

The components of the abdominal examination are poorly reliable between physician types. Only the "rebound tenderness" component of the abdominal examination shows moderate agreement between the pediatric emergency department attending physicians and the surgeon. No component of the abdominal examination appears to be consistently reliable. Interexaminer agreement must be considered when developing management strategies for acute abdomen. Interventions to improve reliability should be developed.

When given the opportunity to make an informed decision, more parents chose intravenous rehydration. However, the prospect of an effective oral antiemetic medication might lead more parents to choose oral rehydration.

Trained nurses can accurately apply and interpret the OAR. The incorporation of the OAR into the nursing assessment of children with acute ankle injuries may reduce the number of radiographs ordered.

When given the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding the evaluation of their head-injured child, parents were divided as to their preference. A small majority preferred observation.