Prehospital Care

Pediatric incidents account for approximately 10% of all prehospital calls. The limited frequency of pediatric interactions results in clinicians being less familiar with – and often less confident in – providing pediatric care. Being “pediatric ready” can reduce anxiety for EMS clinicians and research suggests it may also improve patient outcomes.

The Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program and EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center support EMS clinicians through the Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project (PPRP), Quality Improvement Collaboratives that reach prehospital providers, and development of prehospital clinical resources. Additionally, we participate in various national projects and collaboratives that deal with prehospital issues, including prehospital evidence-based guidelines, injury prevention, equipment guidelines, and safe transportation of children.

Tools & Resources

Prehospital Pediatric Readiness

The Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project (PPRP) was convened in 2019 to guide and plan next steps for pediatric readiness in the prehospital setting by identifying gaps and priority areas of focus and coordinating complimentary public relations activities among our national partners.

Equipment for Ground Ambulances

The current Recommended Essential Equipment for BLS and ALS Ground Ambulances represents a consensus by six organizations all of which appointed members to a joint task force to assist with defining the standard for ground ambulances in the United States.