Pediatric Readiness gains momentum in state trauma regulations

States are increasingly incorporating Pediatric Readiness standards into their trauma system regulations, strengthening emergency care for children across the U.S. Ten states have confirmed they include—or plan to include—Pediatric Readiness criteria in their trauma verification standards. These include Delaware (Levels I-IV), Idaho, Iowa (Levels I-–III), Kansas (Levels I-III), North Dakota, Montana, Tennessee, and Texas. Kentucky is one of the newest states to integrate Pediatric Readiness standards. Since the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) verification process includes Pediatric Readiness, and Kentucky accepts ACS verification towards Levels I-III, the revised trauma regulations require Pediatric Readiness assessments and improvement plans for Level IV centers. This supports the growing Kentucky EMS-C hospital recognition program, encouraging ALL emergency departments to become Pediatric Ready. Kentucky revised its companion Kentucky Trauma Hospital Reference Manual to include Pediatric Readiness. South Dakota also intends to add Pediatric Readiness to the Level IV-V trauma center designation process. 

The ACS COT Level IV Standards are anticipated to include a Pediatric Readiness Standard and will be officially released in the Fall. The ACS COT Fields Program (Regional COT) will begin a Webinar/Educational Series on Pediatric Readiness in July 2025 to encourage all national trauma center emergency departments to become Pediatric Ready. 

With growing recognition of the impact of Pediatric Readiness, which is linked to significantly reduced mortality rates, states are encouraged to integrate these life-saving standards into their verification processes.

Learn more about Pediatric Readiness.

ACEP accreditation: A roadmap to Pediatric Ready emergency care

The recently launched American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Emergency Department Accreditation Program (EDAP) offers a powerful pathway for hospitals to ensure high-quality emergency care for all patients, including children. The voluntary program includes four levels, and provides specific criteria and goals for emergency care teams and administrators. The accreditation criteria include several standards that align with the National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP), of which ACEP is a founding partner. The pediatric-related criteria include:

• Reviewing Pediatric Readiness status at least every two years, including participation in the NPRP Assessment (www.pedsready.org). The ED must document the review and develop action plans to address any identified deficiencies.
• Having a system to select indicators for tracking performance improvement for critical illness and injury conditions in adults and children and a system to identify variance in performance.
• Having a qualified emergency physician and/or pediatric emergency physician available onsite 24/7/365
• Having a hospital disaster plan that includes a plan for adult and pediatric patient surge to the ED
• Having a policy that specifies that patients’ weights are recorded in kilograms. .

Whether your ED sees children occasionally or daily, EDAP provides a framework to strengthen pediatric care. Learn more.

Nurses at the core of safer emergency care through Pediatric Readiness

A recent study reinforces what many in the EMSC community already know: nurses are central to achieving high levels of Pediatric Readiness in EDs. The national analysis, published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing, found that EDs requiring pediatric-specific competency evaluations and specialty certification for nurses had significantly higher Pediatric Readiness scores.

Key takeaways:

• Pediatric-specific competencies were required in 89% of EDs and strongly associated with improved readiness.
• Specialty certification, though only required in 20% of EDs, was linked to the highest readiness scores.
• Continuing education in pediatric care is nearly universal—and effective.

Pediatric Readiness has been linked to lower mortality rates. This research underscores that nurse competency evaluations, specialty certification, and continuous education play a direct role in enhancing readiness and improving outcomes. Read the study.

Celebrating the accomplishments of the EMSC Scholars and Fellows

The EMSC Scholars and Fellows Programs have officially wrapped up, and EMSC is proud to recognize the outstanding work of all participants over the past 18 months.

Learn more about the programs and participants.