The challenge of pediatric emergency care
Children have unique health care needs. But because EMS agencies and emergency departments (EDs) have limited resources, they tend to focus on the patients they see most often: adults. They might not be "Pediatric Ready," or have the pediatric-specific skills, protocols, and resources needed to provide quality emergency care for children.
Why does it matter? Universal Pediatric Readiness could save 2,143 children's lives each year—and that's just in EDs.1
35 million
children and their families seek emergency care every year2
80%
of EMS agencies treat <10 children per month, while 80% of EDs treat <10 per day3,4
76%
potential reduction in mortality risk associated with Pediatric Readiness in EDs5
One family's story
On a stormy night in Iowa, 2-year-old Arlette’s mild respiratory illness became a life-threatening situation.
Fortunately, two local EMS agencies had prepared to ensure they had pediatric-specific protocols, equipment, knowledge, and champions in place, also known as being "Pediatric Ready."
Join the EMSC Program in ensuring every EMS agency, and every ED, is Pediatric Ready.
Participate in the Pediatric Readiness Projects
The Pediatric Readiness Projects offer EMS and fire-rescue agencies and EDs free assessments, benchmarking, checklists, toolkits, and more to ensure they are ready for children.
More tools & resources
Explore educational resources and quality improvement opportunities to help you on your journey to improve care for kids.
Find your state program
The EMSC Program includes State Partnership Programs in nearly every state and territory. These programs offer free resources, educational opportunities, quality improvement efforts, research projects, and more – all tailored to your specific state’s needs. Click your state/territory below to find information about your state’s EMSC program.
The EMSC Program – part of the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau – aims to ensure that, no matter where a child lives, the health systems in their area provide quality emergency care. EMSC includes:
- EMSC State Partnership Programs - implementation, integration and infrastructure
- EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center - quality improvement and education science
- EMSC Data Center - data collection, analysis, and visualization
- Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network - high-quality clinical research