CHAPTER ■ INTRODUCTION: HIGHQUALITY EMERGENCY CARE FOR CHILDREN KATHY N SHAW, RICHARD G BACHUR GOALS OF EMERGENCY CARE Our primary goal as practitioners is to provide high-quality, safe care for each child who arrives in our emergency department The ability to stay current with knowledge and clinical skills across all possible conditions is impossible for any clinician Furthermore, the evidence may be poor, inconsistent, or changing for the management of many diseases or injuries This leads to a wide variation in practice, high rates of inappropriate care, patient harm, and wasted resources Additionally, the model of optimal care in emergency departments is challenged by high acuity and crowding that demands teamwork, resources, a well-structured quality program, and a culture of high reliability With this new edition of the Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine , we provide easy web-based access for use in practice, links to clinical pathways based on the latest evidence and expert consensus, and a new, streamlined format that emphasizes the goals of quality care KEY POINTS