State Successes: Learn about three State Partnerships’ prehospital projects

One of the true gems of the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) All-Grantee Meetings is the EMSC grantees and stakeholders’ poster presentations and displays. These poster presentations provide a unique opportunity for individuals and groups to present and engage in discussions on items of importance and share successes with fellow meeting attendees.

This year’s meeting displayed 20 poster presentations covering six categories:

• Pediatric training, including simulation, virtual reality, a HERO program, and autism spectrum disorder;
• Facility recognition, including experienced regional approaches, virtual confirmation processes, and trauma recognition;
• Health partnerships with community health workers;
• Pediatric readiness, including the importance for disaster preparedness and an experienced quality review program; and
• Prehospital surveys, which were successfully utilized to aid program developments.

Below, we highlight three prehospital survey poster presentations. Each poster utilized the process of surveying to gain perspectives on unique topics: a future 911 program in Washington, D.C., identifying EMS provider pediatric needs in Puerto Rico, and increasing EMS for Children Survey responses in Pennsylvania.

911 Program Development: Caregiver Perceptions on Alternative EMS Disposition Systems for Children

Summary:

The Washington, D.C., EMSC program and their partners conducted a qualitative study with pediatric caregivers of diverse backgrounds. Their aim was to describe the perspectives of these caregivers on including children in a future, alternative EMS disposition program for low-acuity 911 complaints. Their qualitative study gave a unique caregiver perspective on their perceived benefits and harms of such a disposition program.

Caregivers and EMS system benefits:

• Triage nurses may provide guidance to caregivers for what constitutes a true emergency or requires an EMS transport to the ED
• Minimizes unnecessary EMS wait times
• Cost saving to individuals and health system

Harms:

• Caregivers with a known lack in pediatric training making care decisions
• Hospitals may have an added need for secondary hospital transports (higher level of care)
• Delay in receiving definitive care
• Unsafe pediatric care in commercial ride-sharing services
• Worsening health inequities

Learn more.

Identifying EMS Provider Pediatric Needs: Comfort of Pre-Hospital Providers Managing Life Threatening Conditions and Injuries in the Pediatric Population in Puerto Rico: A Needs Assessment

Summary:

EMS providers will respond to a much greater count of adult emergencies compared to pediatric emergencies. The Puerto Rico School of Medicine surveyed their island EMS providers to understand the providers' comfort levels in treating different types of pediatric emergencies, their work experiences, and their own initiatives to gain more pediatric training and education. The results of their survey have created a strong foundation to improve their island's pediatric emergency care.

Highlights:

• The EMS providers were most uncomfortable responding to pediatric cardiorespiratory arrest and child abuse type scenes.
• Costs and language issues were identified as barriers to providers obtaining more pediatric education and training.
• Pediatric-based protocols were identified by providers at their EMS agencies.

Learn more.

EMSC Program Improvement: Improving EMS for Children Survey Responses Among Pennsylvania EMS Agencies

Summary

The Pennsylvania EMSC program conducted a system-wide review of the processes they employed in their previous years’ program survey of their state's EMS agencies; their efforts have more than doubled their agencies’ response rates in their 2020-21 program survey.

Highlights:

• The Pennsylvania EMSC program astutely identified and partnered with regional EMS Advisory Councils.
• These growing partnerships have improved identification and communication with key personnel from the 1,000+ EMS agencies.
• Provides their EMSC program a better insight into the operations of the local EMS agencies.

Learn more.

View these posters and others via the 2021 All-Grantee Meeting posters webpage.