Louisiana

Pediatric Care Coordination in EMS Agencies – Improving Child Health Outcomes in Louisiana

Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health

Principal Investigators: Toni Gross, MD, MPH and Gail Gibson, RN, MSN, FABC

This project will improve system readiness in Louisiana’s emergency healthcare system by creating a statewide consortium of PECCs in EMS agencies. Establishing this statewide system of collaboration will provide resources, support networks, education, training, and personnel development that will ultimately improve pediatric emergency care across Louisiana. Data from multiple EMS agencies collectively serving over 35,000 pediatric patients annually will be linked to hospital ED data to determine how the presence of PECCs in the pre-hospital setting affects pediatric patient health outcomes.

Objectives

1. Develop a statewide system of PECCs that will provide education, training, and resources regarding pediatric emergency care and equipment to EMS agencies
2. Establish and maintain partnerships that work toward improved prehospital pediatric emergency care provided by EMS agencies
3. Increase prehospital pediatric guideline adherence in order to decrease medication errors and improve initiation of appropriate treatment in a prehospital setting
4. Collect and share data from EMS agencies regarding the results and effectiveness of the PECC program and communicate findings to EMSC stakeholders

Health outcomes to be assessed include mortality, discharge from hospital into a skilled nursing or rehabilitation facility, hospital length of stay, and return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Presentations and Updates

Click here to view a brief update on this project, presented at the 2021 EMSC All Grantee Meeting. (presentation starts at 35:10)