Prehospital Domain Update!

The EIIC Prehospital Domain supports all prehospital care-related activities within EMSC. Currently, the primary focus of the Prehospital Domain is supporting the national Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project (PPRP).

In anticipation of the publication of a joint policy statement on pediatric readiness in Emergency Medical Services Systems, the EIIC convened the PPRP Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from federal partners (HRSA/MCHB, NHTSA Office of EMS, Indian Health Services, ASPR Office of Emergency Management and Medical Operations), EMSC State Partnership Programs (Program Managers and FAN), and 20 national organizations. The purpose of the PPRP Steering Committee is to ensure emergency care for all children by improving the pediatric emergency care outcomes and patient safety at the local, regional, and state levels within the prehospital environment.

In July 2020, the Steering Committee approved an EMS Agency Pediatric Readiness Checklist, which is based on the Pediatric Readiness in Emergency Medical Services Systems Policy Statement. The purpose of the Checklist is to foster the self-assessment of EMS agency pediatric readiness. Earlier this year, the PPRP Steering Committee formed three work groups to accomplish different key processes to reach the Steering Committee’s goals, which can be found in the Charter. The objectives of these work groups include: creation of a Frequently Asked Questions document (to support EMS agency use of the Checklist), development of a toolkit for EMS agencies to use, and development of an EMS agency national assessment of prehospital pediatric readiness (based on the Checklist).

The steering committee recently met in October 2020 to collaborate and share the progress being made by each work group. The feedback on a recent pilot of the PPRP Checklist was presented and work is underway to finalize a Frequently Asked Questions document. It is anticipated that there will be a nationwide rollout in late 2020. The PPRP Toolkit content has been developed and will be made available in a user-centric platform housed on the EIIC webpage. The availability of the PPRP Toolkit will coincide with the launch of the PPRP Checklist and is projected to go live in 2021. The Steering Committee also reviewed draft questions for the national PPRP assessment of EMS Agencies. The official launch date of the national EMS assessment is yet to be determined.

To learn more about the PPRP Steering Committee and the work happening in the EIIC Prehospital Domain, please visit our page on the EIIC website here. For questions, email mailto:pprp@emscimprovement.center.