Hospital Pediatric Readiness

Pediatric Readiness is defined as ensuring that every emergency department has the champions, competencies, policies, equipment, and other resources needed to provide high-quality emergency care for children.

An assessment used to evaluate pediatric readiness in the emergency department is the National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP) assessment which launched nationwide in 2013. The NPRP assessment is a 100-point scale that examines seven different domains of pediatric readiness:

• Administration and coordination
• Competencies for physicians, nurses, and other ED staff
• QI/PI in the Emergency Department
• Pediatric patient and medication safety
• Policies, procedures, and protocols
• Support services
• Equipment, supplies, and medications

High readiness scores are associated with lower short- and long-term mortality risk in pediatrics.

To get started exploring pediatric readiness:

• Review the Technical Report
• Review the Policy Statement
• Review the Readiness Checklist
• Take the NPRP Assessment
• Once gaps are identified explore the Hospital Readiness Toolkit and NPRP Roadmap
• Engage with your leadership to establish buy-in and support
• Reach out to the NH EMSC Program Manager maria.c.varanka@hitchcock.org