Checklist & FAQs

Who should fill out the Checklist?

Your agency’s pediatric emergency care coordinator (PECC). If your agency doesn’t have a PECC, the individual most familiar with policies and procedures as well as training could complete the Checklist.

We are a rural service and/or lack resources available to more well-off/better funded agencies. What if we aren’t able to check all the boxes?

The purpose of the Checklist is to help EMS agencies assess their status of pediatric readiness. There is not an expectation that every agency should be able to check all the boxes immediately, rather that agencies review where their resources are lacking, and use the Toolkit to help bolster their current status of readiness.

Who is the intended end user of the Checklist?

The Checklist has been developed for all EMS agencies, regardless of pediatric call volume.

My agency would like to be able to reach the goals listed in the Checklist but lack the resources, what help is available?

A Toolkit has been created to help you succeed. The Toolkit (located here), will be updated as additional resources are located. You may also work with your state’s EMSC State Partnership Program Manager to address the gaps identified. Contact information can be found here: https://emscimprovement.center/programs/grants/

Is our agency Pediatric Ready if we check a general checklist item, but our agency only has one or some of the bulleted examples outlined under the general checklist item? For example, under Policies, Procedures, and Protocols, what if we have pediatric consideration in our prearrival instructions for respiratory distress and cardiac arrest, but not for the other bulleted items (choking, seizure, and altered level of consciousness)?

Having one or some of the bulleted examples outlined under the general checklist item means that the EMS agency is working on pediatric readiness, but could incorporate additional components of pediatric readiness if the agency so chooses. The bulleted examples listed under each checklist item identify the many areas of pediatric readiness that can be addressed to improve the prehospital care that children receive.

What is meant by “psychomotor skills”?

Psychomotor skills refers to hands-on activities. Examples of these include but are not limited to:

• Bag-mask ventilation
• Suctioning
• Dosage calculation and medication choice decision-making
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• Use of mucosal atomizer or length-based tape
• Placement of IO/IVs or cervical collars

What is meant by “cognitive skills”?

Cognitive skills are the core skills your brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention. In prehospital care of children, examples of these include, but are not limited to:

• Pediatric growth and development,
• Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT)
• Physical exam findings of acutely ill and injured children (wheezing, stridor, mottling, altered mental status)

What do you mean by “behavioral skills”?

Behavioral skills are interpersonal, self-regulatory, and task-related behaviors that connect to successful performance in education and workplace settings. Examples of this skill in prehospital care of children include, but are not limited to:

• Patient- and family-centered care
• Cultural awareness
• Team-based care

What specifics could be included in a destination policy that integrates pediatric-specific resources?

Specifics could include consideration of regional resources and weighing of the risks and benefits of keeping children in their own communities. An example can be found in the “Destination Decision Making” section of the Toolkit.

What is meant by “direct medical oversight integrates pediatric-specific knowledge”?

This means that Medical Control is able to provide direct and immediate guidance on pediatric care. Specific examples can be found in the “Medical Direction and Oversight” section of the Toolkit.

What do you mean by a process to track patient outcomes across the continuum?

This means that an agency has an established process to track the outcomes of children that they have cared for and transported. This can include use of external proprietary electronic data systems, direct feedback, etc. This process can increase collaboration between EMS agencies and Emergency Departments to improve outcomes in pediatric patients.