{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T12:52:51Z","timestamp":1791204771731,"version":"4.2.0"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are frequently present in emergency departments, where their roles may include accompanying patients, investigating injuries, or responding to safety concerns. Existing research on LEO presence in health care has focused on adult populations, with limited attention to pediatric settings. Pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) represent a distinct clinical environment in which developmental vulnerability, caregiver involvement, and legal considerations related to minors may shape interactions. Despite these differences, little is known about how LEO presence is experienced in pediatric care or how it may influence clinical interactions and care delivery. The objective of this study is to explore how PED clinicians and staff perceive and navigate interactions with LEOs during clinical care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>METHODS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We sampled physicians, nurses, and bedside staff at a level 1 pediatric trauma center for 60-minute semistructured qualitative interviews virtually and in person. Interviews were audio recorded, professionally transcribed, and coded and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>RESULTS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Across 27 interviews (13 physicians, 11 nurses, 3 bedside staff) conducted April to August of 2024, 4 themes emerged: respectful collaboration supports effective encounters; communication breakdowns and role ambiguity undermine collaboration; concern that LEO presence could weaken patient trust and psychological safety; and gaps in policy and training leave clinicians unprepared. Across themes, clinicians emphasized developmental vulnerability, caregiver involvement, and ethical tensions unique to pediatric care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>CONCLUSIONS<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PED clinicians and staff described challenging interactions with LEOs involving communication, role clarity, and patient trust. Pediatric-specific dynamics, particularly patient vulnerability and caregiver involvement, were prominent. Participants also identified potential strategies to improve these interactions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2026-076233","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:02:25Z","timestamp":1788998545000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Clinicians\u2019 Experiences With Law Enforcement in a Pediatric Emergency Department"],"prefix":"10.1542","volume":"158","author":[{"given":"Anna H.","family":"Abrams","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"1Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"},{"name":"2University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carly","family":"Ritger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"James A.","family":"Feinstein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"},{"name":"2University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marian E.","family":"Betz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"},{"name":"3Eastern Colorado Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Aurora, Colorado"},{"name":"4Veterans Health Administration, Aurora, Colorado"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lalit","family":"Bajaj","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"},{"name":"2University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brooke","family":"Dorsey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"417","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"2026100508115338900_r1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"406","DOI":"10.1177\/15248399221145160","article-title":"\u201cDo no harm\u201d: promoting anti-racist policing in pediatric emergency departments through 20 practice change considerations","volume":"24","author":"Wells","year":"2023","journal-title":"Health Promot Pract."},{"issue":"9","key":"2026100508115338900_r2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"852","DOI":"10.1001\/jamasurg.2022.2595","article-title":"Law enforcement in the emergency department","volume":"157","author":"Alur","year":"2022","journal-title":"JAMA Surg."},{"key":"2026100508115338900_r3","first-page":"2646","article-title":"Policing the emergency room","volume":"134","author":"Song","year":"2021","journal-title":"Harv Law Rev."},{"issue":"9","key":"2026100508115338900_r4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"949","DOI":"10.1111\/acem.14901","article-title":"Not a crime scene: the need to examine the impact of police in the pediatric emergency department","volume":"31","author":"Abrams","year":"2024","journal-title":"Acad Emerg Med."},{"key":"2026100508115338900_r5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2017.05.037","article-title":"A safe haven for the injured? Urban trauma care at the intersection of healthcare, law enforcement, and race","volume":"199","author":"Jacoby","year":"2018","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med."},{"issue":"6","key":"2026100508115338900_r6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2022060070","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2022-060070","article-title":"Firearm-related injuries and deaths in children and youth: injury prevention and harm reduction","volume":"150","author":"Lee","year":"2022","journal-title":"Pediatrics."},{"issue":"6","key":"2026100508115338900_r7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"738","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annemergmed.2021.04.039","article-title":"Policed patients: how the presence of law enforcement in the emergency department impacts medical care","volume":"78","author":"Harada","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann Emerg Med."},{"issue":"6","key":"2026100508115338900_r8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"349","DOI":"10.1093\/intqhc\/mzm042","article-title":"Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups","volume":"19","author":"Tong","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int J Qual Health Care."},{"key":"2026100508115338900_r9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e074256","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj-2022-074256","article-title":"Practical thematic analysis: a guide for multidisciplinary health services research teams engaging in qualitative analysis","volume":"381","author":"Saunders","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMJ."},{"issue":"2","key":"2026100508115338900_r10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1258\/jhsrp.2009.009081","article-title":"Thematic analysis and its reconceptualization as \u2018saliency analysis\u2019","volume":"15","author":"Buetow","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Health Serv Res Policy."},{"issue":"4","key":"2026100508115338900_r11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"695","DOI":"10.1080\/17437199.2022.2161594","article-title":"Is thematic analysis used well in health psychology? 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