Kirsten Bechtel, MD
Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and of Emergency MedicineCards
About
Research
Publications
2024
Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Mentoring
Bechtel K, Langhan M, Levine D, Hanson J. Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Mentoring. Pediatric Emergency Care 2024, 40: 449-453. PMID: 38563806, DOI: 10.1097/pec.0000000000003192.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPediatric emergency medicineEmergency medicineAmerican Academy of Pediatrics Section of Emergency MedicinePediatric emergency medicine physiciansIdentified 4 themesConstant comparative methodAge of participantsBenefits of mentorshipImpact of mentorshipTranscribed verbatimMentoring programNon-HispanicSemistructured interviewsQualitative studyAnalyzed transcriptsPhysiciansAmerican AcademyGroup assignmentSubspecialty of pediatricsResearch teamMentorshipCriterion samplingThemesRole modelsFinding mentors
2023
Spotlighting the imbalance: Gender disparities among speakers and awardees at pediatric emergency medicine conferences
Reichard K, Levine D, Reed J, Barrick‐Groskopf L, Bechtel K, Cooper G, Hall J, White M, Langhan M. Spotlighting the imbalance: Gender disparities among speakers and awardees at pediatric emergency medicine conferences. Academic Emergency Medicine 2023, 30: 1138-1143. PMID: 37550843, DOI: 10.1111/acem.14786.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchImproving Care After Sexual Assault: A Needs Assessment for a Standardized, Patient-Centered Educational Resource [ID: 1377465]
Lepore C, Bechtel K, Choi J, Gawel M, Griggs S, Pathy S. Improving Care After Sexual Assault: A Needs Assessment for a Standardized, Patient-Centered Educational Resource [ID: 1377465]. Obstetrics And Gynecology 2023, 141: 91s-91s. DOI: 10.1097/01.aog.0000931112.50405.07.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDischarge paperworkTertiary care emergency departmentRetrospective chart reviewInstitutional review board approvalLong-term followReview board approvalWorld Health Organization guidelinesMental health resourcesHealth Organization guidelinesOne-thirdElectronic medical record systemCommunity resourcesChart reviewMedical record systemSSA patientsEmergency departmentPatient morbidityAcute traumaPatient educationAmerican CollegeBoard approvalSuch careMedical followHealth resourcesFollowBuilding the Foundation
Barrick L, Bechtel K, Cooper G, Hall J, Levine D, Reichard K, Reed J, White M, Langhan M. Building the Foundation. Pediatric Emergency Care 2023, 39: 294-295. PMID: 36625447, DOI: 10.1097/pec.0000000000002902.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
Parental attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to firearm storage: a qualitative study
Schenck C, Wilson M, Tiyyagura G, Bechtel K. Parental attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to firearm storage: a qualitative study. Injury Epidemiology 2022, 9: 35. PMID: 36544237, PMCID: PMC9768769, DOI: 10.1186/s40621-022-00400-x.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
Chest Radiograph Utility in Children With Asthma and Chest Pain
Bechtel K. Chest Radiograph Utility in Children With Asthma and Chest Pain. AAP Grand Rounds 2021, 46: 43-43. DOI: 10.1542/gr.46-4-43.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersHalf Century Since SIDS: A Reappraisal of Terminology
Shapiro-Mendoza C, Palusci V, Hoffman B, Batra E, Yester M, Corey T, Sens M, Moon R, Goodstein M, Abu Jawdeh E, Carlin R, Colvin J, Hwang S, Hauck F, Haney S, Sirotnak A, Asnes A, Gavril A, Greenlee Girardet R, Hoffert Gilmartin A, Heavilin N, Laskey A, Messner S, Mohr B, Nienow S, Rosado N, Agran P, Hirsh M, Johnston B, Kendi S, Lee L, Monroe K, Schaechter J, Tenenbein M, Zonfrillo M, Quinlan K, Bechtel K, Berkowitz C, Needelman H. Half Century Since SIDS: A Reappraisal of Terminology. Pediatrics 2021, 148: e2021053746. PMID: 34544849, PMCID: PMC8487943, DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-053746.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNonphysician cliniciansInfant deathSudden infant deathMental health careClinician disciplineAppropriate referralPediatric specialtiesChild deathsPediatriciansDiagnostic shiftEffective interventionsPhysiciansCliniciansDeathHealth careCaregiversTragic newsConsistent terminologyOpen communicationPathophysiologyDeath terminologyInfantsReferralEtiologyMortalityInvasive Bacterial Infections in Infants With Skin and Soft-Tissue Infections
Bechtel K. Invasive Bacterial Infections in Infants With Skin and Soft-Tissue Infections. AAP Grand Rounds 2021, 46: 27-27. DOI: 10.1542/gr.46-3-27.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersTreating AGE in the ED: More ORT and Less IVF
Bechtel K. Treating AGE in the ED: More ORT and Less IVF. AAP Grand Rounds 2021, 46: 18-18. DOI: 10.1542/gr.46-2-18.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersWindow Falls in Preschool Aged Children: Uncommon But Preventable
Bechtel K. Window Falls in Preschool Aged Children: Uncommon But Preventable. AAP Grand Rounds 2021, 46: 3-3. DOI: 10.1542/gr.46-1-3.Commentaries, Editorials and Letters
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Even in the hectic atmosphere of the Pediatric Emergency Department, Kirsten A. Bechtel, MD, who specializes in forensic medicine and child abuse, strives to never interrupt her patients or their caregivers.
“I like to ask open-ended questions and just let people talk. As health care providers, we can be so task-oriented and have to check off all of our boxes, it ends up being more of a transaction with a patient rather than a relationship,” she says. “So, I say, ‘Tell me everything that is going on.’ By not saying anything until they finish talking, you get an idea of what the real issues are.”
The Pediatric Emergency Department at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital (YNHCH) is a Level 1 trauma center and has exceptional subspecialty care for vulnerable children, such as those who have experienced abuse and neglect, sexual assault, domestic minor sex trafficking, and behavioral health emergencies, Dr. Bechtel says. “We know that the fewer adverse childhood experiences kids have, the more likely they will grow up to be productive, positive adults, which makes trying to recognize abuse, report it, and protect the child vital,” she adds.
The ED can be a difficult place for families, too, and Dr. Bechtel tries to reassure parents, telling them, “You are doing a beautiful job with this child. You just need a little help right now, and I am going to provide that.”
Dr. Bechtel ensures families are comfortable during ED visits, offering warm blankets and pillows, hot beverages, popsicles for the patients and their siblings, and activities such as coloring or blowing bubbles.
She is the co-medical director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids at YNHCH. “This includes trying to prevent child abuse, medical injuries, or behavioral health injuries,” she explains. “Post-traumatic stress symptoms can be disabling to kids after they’ve gone through a traumatic event. We also look into trends in pedestrian and bicycle safety.”
Dr. Bechtel is an associate professor of pediatrics and of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine.
Clinical Specialties
Yale Medicine News
Links & Media
News
- June 18, 2024Source: WFSB
Doctors share warning about kids and hot car dangers
- May 19, 2024Source: The Hour
CT fatal crashes involving teens are rising, data shows. Officials urge parents to 'play a role.'
- May 02, 2024
56 Yale Pediatricians Recognized by Connecticut Magazine's 2024 “Top Doctors” List
- April 17, 2024Source: Hartford Courant
Infant death numbers in CT remain high. What parents and caregivers should know.