2024 PPRP National Results Key Findings

A note about comparability: National results provide useful context. But given the significant variation in EMS practices, agencies should be mindful of the limitations of comparing themselves to national results. Ultimately, agencies should focus most on their individual results and benchmarking information provided in the gap reports.

PPRP results are in

Scores

The PPRP Assessment measures readiness on a 100-point scale. The median score for basic life support (BLS) agencies was 52 out of 100, and the median score for advanced life support (ALS)/intermediate life support (ILS) agencies was 70. (ALS/ILS agencies made up the majority of respondents (72%).)

The overall median score nationally was 66.

Key Elements of Readiness

  • 38% of EMS agencies reported having a pediatric emergency care coordinator (PECC) or pediatric champion
  • 52% do skills testing with pediatric equipment at least twice per year
  • 60% collect pediatric elements as part of their patient care data
  • 74% have a performance improvement plan that includes review of pediatric encounters
  • 83% have all recommended pediatric equipment (consistent with scope of practice)

Readiness by Domain

Of the eight categories or “domains” within the assessment,

Domains with the overall lowest scores were:

  1. Interaction with Systems of Care (includes collaboration with public health and disaster preparedness)
  2. Patient- and Family-Centered Care
  3. Quality Improvement and Process Improvement

Domains with the overall highest scores were:

  1. Equipment and Supplies
  2. Policies, Procedures, and Protocols
  3. Patient and Medication Safety

Trends and Takeaways

  1. Scores were higher among agencies with higher numbers of pediatric encounters. Most agencies see very few children and call volumes are not modifiable. All EMS agencies need to make a readiness to care for children a priority.
  2. While only 38% of EMS agencies report having them, the presence of a PECC is the strongest driver of higher readiness scores, underscoring the importance of the role.
  3. 80% of EMS agencies received a score of 12/12 on the “Equipment and Supplies” domain, reflecting years of effort driven by emergency care leaders and the EMSC Program.

Interested in national results by licensure level?

These reports were developed to review the data by EMS licensure only whereas the manuscript looks at the EMS system as a whole.

Back to the 2024 results home