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State programs recognizing emergency departments (EDs) and EMS agencies for achieving specific high-quality pediatric emergency care standards are essential drivers of improved pediatric readiness. As of April 2023, all EMSC State Partnership Programs are now required to work toward establishing recognition programs.
"The goal of recognition programs is to help EDs and EMS agencies understand their capability to stabilize and manage pediatric emergencies and to ensure children are transported to EDs with appropriate resources," says Kate Remick, MD, Co-Director of the EMSC Innovation & Improvement Center and Co-Lead of the National Pediatric Readiness Project. Click here to read the full article.
The Montana EMS Annual Report 2023 analyzes 2022 EMS data by agency type (non transporting, ground transport, air transport) and by time-sensitive illnesses and injuries, including alcohol/drug exposure, trauma, traumatic brain injury, stroke, heart attack, and cardiac arrest.
- A key finding related to children was the primary impression was missing for 13% of pediatric 911 transports and 29% of pediatric interfacility transports.
- The most common primary impression among pediatric patients aged 0-17 was Neurological/Level of Consciousness (LOC) complaints, which accounted for 19% of 911 transports.
- Mental Health/Behavioral accounted for 13% of all 911 transports.
View the full report and past reports on the EMSTS website here.
Education and Training
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has launched the National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP) to provide a framework to assess and improve pediatric emergency care preparedness—a framework associated with improved mortality for injured children. Under the NPRP, all trauma centers seeking trauma center verification with the ACS will now be required to complete the NPRP assessment and develop a plan to address deficiencies in pediatric readiness.
While using the ACS for verification in Montana is voluntary, several centers are ACS verified. Whether they are a Montana designated facility and/or an ACS verified center, all trauma centers in Montana must have pediatric-specific policies, equipment, and resources available to care for the trauma-injured child.
EMS providers are often the first line to console grieving parents who have lost a child because of a traumatic event or illness outside-the-hospital (OOH) .
The goal of Compassionate Options for Pediatric EMS (COPE) is to develop a systems approach to OOH pediatric death that equips EMS providers with the knowledge, tools, and skill set needed to manage emotional and psychological effects for the grieving families they encounter as well as for themselves.
If you or someone you know is thinking about self-harm or suicide or is experiencing a mental health crisis, please know that help is available.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/
Emergency departments (EDs) have made progress but do not fully meet national guidelines for pediatric emergency care, despite the association with improved survival, found in a July 7, 2023, JAMA study.
The findings are based on a 2021 reassessment of EDs by the National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP), led by the EMSC Program – in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Emergency Nurses Association. To improve readiness, researchers emphasize the importance of designating PECCs. Implementing pediatric-specific quality improvement plans and staffing with board-certified emergency medicine physicians are also associated with score increases.
Learn about pediatric readiness at www.pediatricreadiness.org or take the assessment, available for EDs’ internal use outside of the national assessment, at www.pedsready.org.
The federally funded Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) - which aims to improve outcomes for children in emergencies, disasters, and pandemics - is launching its first collaborative opportunity: the Disaster Networking Collaborative (DNC). The DNC is open to all children’s hospitals in the United States to establish partnerships with local, state, regional, and national emergency preparedness systems and networks to better address the needs of children and families. The 10-month collaborative kicks off in September and will run through June 2024.
The collaborative will emphasize three key areas:
- Garnering C-suite or hospital leadership support for pediatric disaster preparedness
- Establishing consistent disaster roles and responsibilities
- Engaging with the emergency medicine landscape and communities
The collaborative will also serve as the foundation for future national efforts to enhance pediatric disaster preparedness and response.
EMS clinicians need hands-on training and knowledge reinforcement in safe pediatric ground ambulance transport. EMS agencies should ensure their crews have proper equipment, training, and protocols.
Regulators and manufacturers can be catalysts for the implementation of these recommendations. Substantial change at the individual, organizational, and societal levels are needed to improve the safety of pediatric patients being transported via ground ambulance. Read more about Safe Ground Transport of Pediatric Patients here.
 The new Pediatric Readiness Quality Improvement Collaborative (PRQC) cohort kicked off this July with 200 emergency department (ED)-based teams in 42 states and territories. The collaborative brings together teams nationwide to improve pediatric readiness and continues work started in 2018.
PRQC focuses on the National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP) work to help participating ED teams take the following steps in addressing gaps identified by the NPRP assessment. The clinical areas of focus selected for the 2023 PRQC cohort were based on gaps identified by the NPRP assessment. This year, the PRQC saw many trauma center teams enrolling due to new standards for pediatric readiness. The standards published in March 2022 in the seventh edition of “Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient” requires all trauma centers to participate in the National Pediatric Readiness Project assessment. If any gaps in pediatric readiness are identified, the new standard will require that trauma centers develop a plan to address them. Learn more about the PRQC.
Upcoming Meetings & Conferences
September 5, 2023, EMSC Quarterly Advisory Committee Meeting
The September 5th, 2023 featured speaker is Dr. Julia Magana, MD, Pediatric Emergency Medicine UC Davis, and a Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) disseminator.
A FREE train-the-trainer on pediatric suicide safe care is scheduled for Friday, September 11, at the Great Northern Hotel from 1:00-4:00. In this training, attendees will learn to train providers and others in healthcare systems on suicide-safe care for pediatrics. This will include depression screening, suicide risk assessment, safety planning, lethal means counseling, and caring contact.
The training will be facilitated by Virna Little, who is a nationally certified trainer in suicide safe care. Attached are a flyer with additional information and a registration form. There is a limit of 30 participants.
If you are interested or know somebody else who would like to become a trainer, please share this information. Registration forms should be completed and returned by Friday, August 11.
Course dates for Montana are below:
Register at the TEEX website.
Grant Opportunities
Rural Emergency Medical Services Training
NOFO Number: TI-23-011
Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $200,000 per year
This NOFO will remain open for three fiscal years.
The following are the due dates for each FY:
- FY 2023: Applications are due by May 1, 2023
- FY 2024: Applications are due by May 1, 2024
- FY 2025: Applications are due by May 1, 2025
Description
This program aims to recruit and train EMS personnel in rural areas with a particular focus on addressing substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring disorders (COD) substance use and mental disorders. Recipients will be expected to train EMS personnel on SUD and COD, trauma-informed, recovery-based care for people with such disorders in emergencies and, as appropriate, to maintain licenses and certifications relevant to serve in an EMS agency.
Click here for more information and to Apply for the Grant.
In the News
Children remain in a vulnerable position anytime there is poor air quality. To ensure the safety and well-being of children during wildfires, the Pediatric Pandemic Network has curated a comprehensive list of resources here.
Resources
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