Though he would prefer to see every patient in person, when a doctor in a distant emergency department meets with a sick child and his or her family, Merritt can talk to them all by video, and the other doctor can perform the exam for him.

“I think the place for these pediatric specialists is to provide consultation using telehealth,” said Merritt, who was not involved with the new study. “Instead of sending that child to the specialist, you can bring the specialist to the child. We can do that over a video screen.”

“Telehealth is going to play, and already is playing, a bigger role,” he said in a phone interview. In addition, he believes emergency physicians should be trained to care for children.

“I would just like to be sure that these folks are supported and resourced. You want to be sure they have the equipment and ongoing training to take care of kids,” he said.

Dr. Bennett also predicted that telemedicine would play an increasingly pronounced role in pediatric emergency care.

Another way to fill the gap, he said, would be to reduce the number of children seen in emergency departments by improving access to primary pediatric care. An asthmatic child who visits a doctor three or four times a year is less likely to need emergency care, for example, Dr. Bennett said.

“One component is getting more preventative care,” he said.