Great Falls Emergency Services recognized for Pediatric Readiness
The Montana EMSC program recently recognized Great Falls Emergency Services as Level III/Gold Pediatric EMS Service with a Safety Plus Endorsement.
The Gold Recognition indicates that Great Falls Emergency Services meets the following criteria:
- The Agency has a medical director.
- The Agency provides staff with at least 4 hours of pediatric education each year and maintains pediatric education records separate from other education.
- The Agency provides annual community outreach (i.e., presentations to elementary school students on EMS and Safety or a bike safety rodeo).
- Each ambulance carries the required equipment and resources sized for the care of children.
- All staff have passed a Child Protective Services background check.
Congratulations to Great Falls Emergency Services! #pedsready
Montana EMS Pediatric Recognition Overview and Application Instructions
Montana EMS Pediatric Recognition program overview and application instructions are located on the Montana EMSC website under EMS Agency Recognition or on the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center website here.
For more information on the EMSC Prehospital or Hospital recognition programs, please contact Kelly Little, EMSC Program Manager, at 444-0901 or kelly.little@mt.gov.
Education and Training
An Injured Child’s Chance of Surviving Improves When Treated at a Trauma Center Prepared to Care for Children | ACS
New research quantifies the pediatric readiness score associated with the lowest odds of death after injury.
- Trauma centers with the highest pediatric readiness scores (93 or greater) on a national assessment have much lower death rates than centers scoring lower.
- All trauma centers should address gaps in pediatric emergency care—most importantly, the lack of a pediatric-specific quality improvement plan.
Learn more: https://ow.ly/Z6oS50PZTz6 [ow.ly]
American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT)
The EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC) seeks feedback on a new learning module for hospital-based Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinators (PECCs).
PECCs are a proven strategy for improving emergency care for children. A PECC in the ED is tied to double-digit increases in pediatric readiness scores (measured on a scale of 0-100). Since significant survival benefits exist at 88 points or above, a PECC is one of the strongest drivers of improved pediatric outcomes. While prehospital research is ongoing, PECCs in EMS agencies are expected to have a similar impact.
View the module and provide feedback here.
Webinar: Managing Big Feelings-Nov. 7
Cost: FREE
Register Here»
A common manifestation of distress in youth is somatization, or the presentation of mental distress as a bodily symptom. Youth may present at the nurse's office with frequent headaches or stomachaches with no discernible medical cause.
This training offered by Partners for Children's Mental Health (PCMH) will focus on identifying common somatizations of distress and provide simple, practical skills to use with youth experiencing this distress.
The Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals Course and the Pediatric Assessment Triangle: A 25-Year Retrospective
The American Academy of Pediatrics established the Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) Course in 1998. A national PEPP Task Force rolled out the first courses in 2000, and PEPP rapidly became a foundational pediatric knowledge source in prehospital education.
The backbone of the PEPP course is the pediatric assessment triangle (PAT), a simple assessment tool to help determine if an infant or child is "sick" or "not sick," to identify the likely type of pathophysiology and to gauge the urgency for intervention. Read more about the 25th anniversary of the PEPP course here.
Upcoming Meetings & Conferences
December 5, 2023, EMSC Quarterly Advisory Committee Meeting
In the News
Children are Dying in Ill-Prepared Emergency Rooms Across America
The Wall Street Journal put together the first comprehensive list of nationwide hospitals that have received state certification of some level of readiness for pediatric emergencies or are children’s hospitals or pediatric trauma centers experts in caring for young patients.
Read the WSJ article here.
A Montana baby is alive thanks to a rare lifesaving surgery performed at Children’s Hospital Colorado last year. Click here for the Fox 31 News Article.
Study finds steep increase in gun, drug poisoning deaths among youths
A new study found that as nonfatal injuries declined, fatal injuries among children increased from 2011 through 2021. Read the full article here.
Resources
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