2018 Cohort

2018 - 2020 Teams

Global Aim: By April 2020, teams collectively improved their pediatric readiness scores by 10 points.

Under the leadership of the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC) part of the Health Resources and Services Administration EMSC Program, PRQC launched in January 2018 with the goal to improve day-to-day pediatric readiness and ensure high quality emergency care for children across the country, as assessed by the National Pediatric Readiness Project Assessment. Using a train-the-trainer model, participants included over 400 champions across 140 hospitals divided into 16 teams spanning 17 states.

Each site focused on one of four intervention bundles based on the pediatric readiness guidelines and other evidence-based content known to improve pediatric patient safety, timeliness, and effectiveness of care. These bundles included:

1. weighing all children in kilograms only,
2. recognition and triage of abnormal vital signs,
3. interfacility transfer, and
4. disaster preparedness.

Intervention bundles form the basis for local and regional quality improvement (QI) efforts as part of collaborative activities. Participants were supported through targeted QI education, the provision of tools and resources to support local efforts, and sharing of best practices with guidance from subject matter experts (SMEs) in this field.

The PRQC Administrative Team along with our SMEs and trainers provided QI training covering the following topics:

• strategies to identify gaps in care/needs assessments:
• creating SMART aims;
• developing key driver diagrams;
• integrating QI tools (e.g., process maps, SWOT analyses, fishbone diagrams);
• the Model for Improvement; and
• sustainability and dissemination techniques.

Trainers worked with pediatric champions at each of the affiliate sites to develop and implement QI plans targeting key gaps in pediatric readiness.