Metal detectors in the pediatric emergency department: patron attitudes and national prevalence.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate patron attitudes toward a walk through a metal detector that was used for universal weapon screening in a pediatric emergency department. Additionally, we conducted a telephone survey to determine the nationwide prevalence of metal detectors in pediatric emergency departments.
METHODS: A convenience sample of family and acquaintances of patients seen in the pediatric emergency department was selected, and members were interviewed using scripted questions. Members of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions were interviewed for the nationwide survey.
RESULTS: The vast majority of patrons responded favorably to the presence of the arch-style walk through a metal detector. The metal detector was felt to be appropriate in a pediatric emergency department by a large majority of patrons and was protective for both patrons and employees. Handbag searches were felt to be an invasion of privacy by 14%. Nationwide, the prevalence of arch-style metal detectors for security purposes in pediatric emergency departments was only 6%.
CONCLUSIONS: The public has a strong perception that a metal detector protects both patrons and employees in a pediatric emergency department. Fear that patrons will be disturbed or that the presence of a metal detector will reflect negatively upon the institution appear to be unfounded. Nationwide use of metal detectors in pediatric emergency departments remains uncommon but is apparently increasing.