Two EMSC Collaboratives Cross the Finish Line: Advancing Pediatric Readiness Nationwide

In December 2024, two national Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) quality improvement collaboratives came to a close, marking major milestones in EMSC’s ongoing mission to strengthen pediatric emergency care. These collaboratives brought together emergency department (ED) clinicians as well as EMSC State Partnership Program managers to implement targeted improvements, exchange insights, and help close critical gaps in Pediatric Readiness.

What Are EMSC Collaboratives?

EMSC collaboratives are structured, time-bound initiatives designed to unite cross-disciplinary teams across states and systems to solve a specific problem in health care. These collaboratives support quality improvement (QI) in pediatric emergency care by facilitating the exchange of evidence-based strategies and peer learning to enhance outcomes for children in emergency settings.

Pediatric Readiness Quality Improvement Collaborative (PRQC)

Timeline: June 2023 – December 2024

Participants: ED teams Focus Areas:

• Pain assessment
• Abnormal vital sign reassessment
• Suicide risk assessment
• Weight measurement in kilograms only

The PRQC was a national collaborative aimed at improving Pediatric Readiness in EDs by addressing four high-priority clinical areas. Participating ED teams utilized the National Pediatric Readiness Quality Initiative (NPRQI) data platform—a free dashboard tool to monitor progress and implement evidence-based changes in practice.

Throughout the collaborative, teams reported:

• Increased awareness of pediatric-specific best practices
• Strengthened quality improvement processes
• A rise in pediatric emergency care coordinators within EDs

Although the formal collaborative has concluded, its momentum will continue through a Pediatric Readiness Community of Practice, launching in 2025 to sustain engagement and knowledge sharing.

Pediatric Readiness Recognition Programs Collaborative (PRRPC)

Participants: EMSC State Partnership Program managers

Timeline: September 2023 – December 2024

The PRRPC convened State Partnership Program managers and their teams to develop or enhance pediatric recognition programs for EDs and EMS agencies. These programs identify and honor facilities that meet established standards in pediatric emergency care.

Key achievements of the PRRPC include:

• Development of consensus-based minimum and stretch criteria for recognition programs
• Sharing of innovative models for verification and engagement with EDs and EMS agencies
• Expansion of recognition efforts to previously unreached healthcare settings

Going forward, the collaborative will evolve into the PRRPC Exchange—an open, ongoing forum for continued dialogue and resource sharing among states building pediatric recognition systems.

Learn more about pediatric recognition programs here.

Why Pediatric Readiness Matters

Being Pediatric Ready means an ED or EMS agency is equipped with the personnel, equipment, protocols, and training to provide the highest standard of emergency care to children. With nearly 30 million children visiting EDs each year in the U.S., initiatives like PRQC and PRRPC are vital to improving outcomes for pediatric patients.

The completion of these two collaboratives marks significant progress, but the work of pediatric emergency care improvement continues. To learn more about current and future EMSC collaboratives, visit emscimprovement.center/collaboratives/all/ and discover how you can help make every ED and EMS agency Pediatric Ready.