Improving emergency care for children increases life expectancy and is cost-effective, study finds
- Published October 7, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emily Lemiska
communications@emscimprovement.center
In health emergencies, children have specific needs and require specialized care. But many emergency departments (EDs) are not well-prepared to provide that care. A new study based on data from the National Pediatric Readiness Project has found that taking steps to improve pediatric emergency care translates into significant gains in life expectancy – while being highly-cost effective.
The study, led by Stanford Medicine and published Oct. 7 in Health Affairs, is the first to assess improving pediatric emergency capabilities, also known as becoming “Pediatric Ready,” in terms of life expectancy.
“Given the benefits provided, we found the cost of being ready was well below the threshold that people think of as ‘value for money’ in health care,” said senior author, Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert, PhD, Stanford Medicine professor of health policy.
The research team examined data from the National Pediatric Readiness Project, which measures EDs’ pediatric capabilities on a scale of 0-100. The study specifically looked at a representative sample of 747 EDs in 11 states, encompassing nearly 8 million pediatric cases.
The study assessed the potential impact of these EDs achieving an 88 out of 100, a threshold prior research has demonstrated can lead to a 76% lower mortality risk.
Improved readiness, the team found, could result in a gain of 76,800 years of life expectancy and 69,100 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). QALYs are a measure that combine length of life as well as morbidity due to diseases and conditions. They are a metric used to assess the value of interventions in health care.
Importantly, the research team found increasing readiness would cost $9,300 per QALY gained, well below the commonly accepted cost-effectiveness threshold of $50,000 per QALY gained. Overall, the study found the cost per life saved would be $244,000.
“This study is part of an emerging body of evidence on the value of investing in Pediatric Readiness,” says Kate Remick, MD, FAAP, FAEMS, a study co-author and co-director for the National Pediatric Readiness Project.
The National Pediatric Readiness Project’s most recent assessment of EDs found a national median of 70 out of 100. EDs can learn more about becoming Pediatric Ready here.
About the National Pediatric Readiness Project
The National Pediatric Readiness Project is a federally funded initiative of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Emergency Nurses Association. Learn more at www.pediatricreadiness.org.
Funding statement
This study was funded by HRSA, Department of Health and Human Services (EMSC Targeted Issue Grant H34MC33243-01-01) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institutes of Health (grant R24 HD085927). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, NIH, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
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