EMSC QuickNews welcomes articles on people, programs, and procedures related to emergency medical services for children. All information, artwork, or photography should be submitted to Tanya Brown at the EMSC National Resource Center.
EMSC QuickNews is published biweekly by the EMSC National Resource Center, 801 Roeder Road, Suite 600, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301.244.6300 (phone)
Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved.
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EMSC, NHTSA Webinar Archived
On January 11, 2016, at 4:00pm eastern, the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Emergency Medical Services for Children Program partnered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of EMS to host the webinar "Why is NEMSIS V3 Important," which addressed why this is so important to the EMSC Program.
If you were unable to join the webinar, it has now been archived. Mr. Noah Smith, project manager for the National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) at NHTSA's Office of EMS, discussed the following:
- Ongoing transition from NEMSIS version 2 to version 3
- Innovative capabilities of version 3 systems and how they can help you do your job better
- "HL7 compliance" and its importance to EMS and the EMSC program
- The relationship between NEMSIS version 3, the EMS Compass Initiative and evidence-based medicine
- Some of the known barriers and costs to implementation of version 3 and how to overcome them
- Answered questions from program managers
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State and Territory Updates
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Alaska EMSC Recognizes its First Pediatric Facility
Congratulations to Alaska EMSC for the recent recognition of the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) as a Comprehensive Pediatric Emergency Center! ANMC is the first and only hospital in Alaska to achieve this milestone. The accomplishment was highlighted in The Mukluk Telegraph
and on
Fox 4-KTBY.
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Connecticut EMSC Re-established!
The EMSC Program is pleased to announce that the Connecticut EMSC program has resumed under the leadership of Co-principal Investigators Marc Auerbach MD, MSci; Mark Cicero, MD; and Pina Violano, PhD, MSPH, RN-BC, at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital.
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National Pediatric Readiness Project Update
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Pediatric Readiness Continuing to Engage Hospitals in QI
Since the reopening of the Pediatric Readiness Assessment Portal on November 1, more than 175 hospitals have participated in the reassessment. Many took the assessment in 2013 and are evaluating changes in their readiness scores. Other hospitals have joined this important initiative for the first time. It is hoped that all emergency departments will join in on this quality improvement (QI) initiative to help improve care for children!
Visit PedsReady.org to take the assessment and to view participation rates by state.
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Research Resources and Results
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The Integration of Adult Acute Care Surgeons into Pediatric Surgical Care Models Supplements the Workforce without Compromising Quality of Care
A recent
article
published in The American Surgeon assesses the integration of adult care surgeons into pediatric surgical care models. Investigators conducted a five-year retrospective analysis of acute care pediatric surgical cases for patients ages 6 to 17 years. All pediatric patients who presented to a rural tertiary care hospital and were treated by a group of adult general surgeons were included in the study. Investigators reviewed demographics, procedure, complications, outcomes, length of stay, and time of consultation/operation. The final sample size was 397 cases.
Investigators found that the average age was 11.5 years ±3.1 years, and the average length of stay was two days. Of the 397 cases studied, 100 (25.2%) were transferred from outside facilities. Additionally, 52.6% of consultations and operations occurred at night (7P-7A), of which 33.2% occurred during late night hours (11P-7A). An appendectomy was the most commonly performed operation (n=357 89.9%). Other surgery frequencies include incision/drainage (4.5%), laparoscopic cholecystectomy (2.0%), bowel resection (1.5%), and incarcerated hernia (0.5%).
Investigators found that complications occurred in 5.8% (23) of patients. However, 22 of the 23 complications were a result of the disease process. Lastly, investigators found that the results in this study were similar to findings published by pediatric surgeons of children in a similar age group and with similar diagnoses.
Investigators concluded that care models that integrate a dedicated team of general surgeons into pediatric call rotations could provide relief to an overburdened pediatric surgical workforce without sacrificing the quality of pediatric care.
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This Week In Health Policy News
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AAP Recommendations on Medical Countermeasures for Children in Public Health Emergencies, Disasters, or Terrorism
A recent Reuters report highlights the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement on recommendations to close the gaps in the development and use of medical countermeasures for children in public health emergencies, disasters, and terrorist attacks. Children's unique needs, such as dosing requirements and smaller medical devices, make them particularly vulnerable in public health emergencies. Therefore, the mean reserves of adult supplies are not sufficient for children in these types of hazardous events. Recognizing this, many collaborative efforts between professional organizations and federal agencies have brought some success in the inclusion of pediatrics in disaster preparedness. Yet gaps persist in medical countermeasure development, acquisition, and support for pediatric patients. Continued partnerships and commitments to invest energy and resources to fully integrate pediatrics into preparedness efforts inclusive of medical countermeasures is critical.
For more information, read the full article in the February 2016 issue of Pediatrics
.
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Family and Caregiver Outreach
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FAN Town Hall Event
The next Family Advisory Network (FAN) Town Hall event is scheduled to occur at 4:00 pm (Eastern) on Thursday, January 28. Registration in advance is not required. Simply log on at the designated time. The call in number is 1-855-252-6813, and the conference code is 9543310956.
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National Burn Awareness Week 2016
February 1-7, marks the 30th anniversary of National Burn Awareness Week. This year's focus will be scald prevention. National Scald Prevention Campaign materials to educate families and caregivers can be found at www.flashsplash.org. Help get the word out about these preventable injuries.
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Reports and Articles of Interest
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PEM Playbook Podcast Series
Former State Partnership Regionalization of Care Grantee Tim Horeczko, MD, MSCR, has launched the Pediatric Emergency Playbook podcast series. This series targets the emergency medicine and open-access medical education communities. Topics address pre-hospital and emergency department-based assessment and management of pediatric emergencies.
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