What is the National Pediatric Readiness Project?

The National Pediatric Readiness Project is a multiphase quality improvement initiative to ensure that all U.S. emergency departments (ED) have the essential guidelines and resources in place to provide effective emergency care to children.

The primary purpose of this project is three-fold: (1) to establish a composite baseline of the nation's capacity to provide care to children in the ED, (2) to create a foundation for EDs to engage in an ongoing quality improvement (QI) process that includes implementing the guidelines from the 2018 joint policy statement Pediatric Readiness in the Emergency Department and (3) to establish a benchmark that measures an ED's improvement overtime.

Phase one of the project, now complete, included the implementation of a national electronic assessment sent to approximately 5,000 EDs within the U.S. and its territories; the distribution of a Pediatric Readiness Score and a Gap Analysis to all participating hospitals; and the development of online resources to assist facilities with QI initiatives focused on pediatric readiness. Note that an overwhelming 82% of America’s hospitals participated in the PedsReady online assessment.

Phase two activities are currently being implemented, including: the analysis of collected data (initial analysis is complete); the dissemination and sharing of important data findings; and the creation of resources, tools, and partnerships to engage the health care community and effect change.