EMS Week 2023: EMS for Children

As emergency medical services came to life in the early 1970s following the "White Papers" and the 1973 Emergency Medical Services Systems Act, it's impact on adult outcomes were improving. As EMS agencies continued to develop and expand their reach those caring for pediatric patients were concerned by the findings that these improved outcomes were not being seen in the pediatric population to the same degree. With the goal of reducing the death and disability as the result of severe illness or injury of children, the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) programs have grown throughout the years since its inception.

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Dr. Calvin Sia, MD, became a champion of this cause in urging the American Academy of Pediatrics to help develop EMS systems that would directly improve the care of children in the prehospital setting. In 1984, Sens. Daniel Inouye, Orrin Hatch and Lowell Weicker sponsored the first Emergency Medical Services for Children, enabling the use of federal grant funds starting in 1985. These funds, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau, are directed specifically toward programs that will improve the prehospital emergency care of children.

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With this focus on pediatric care, EMSC programs specifically highlight initiatives to address injury preventions, improved protocol and procedure guidelines, training and product creation, guidelines for facility designated as pediatric specialized, pediatric standards for both ambulances and emergency departments and programs geared for special populations, just to name a few. EMSC programs have distributed between 19 and 20 million dollars in funding for such ventures in the 1990s. A full 58 U.S. states and territories are eligible for this funding for programs aimed to enhance existing or establishing EMS systems that focus on the pediatric populations under the most current State Partnership Grant Programs.

As the programs have developed over the years, the need for measurable standards for performance were needed to ensure the proper allocation of funding with so many states and territories requesting aid. In 2017, the implementation of nine EMSC performance measures became mandatory of all agencies receiving funding. These standards include submission of NEMESIS data, creation of a pediatric emergency care coordinator, access to and use of pediatric specific equipment, local hospital recognition of pediatric medical and trauma emergencies, interfacility transfer guidelines and agreements, an EMSC advisory committee, pediatric representation on the EMS board, a full time EMSC program manager and lastly full integration of the priorities set forth by EMSC into statutes or regulations.

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Recognizing the differences in physical, emotional and psychological responses in the pediatric population compared to those of adults when experiencing illness or injury have been the focus of the training events over the years. EMSC grants are continuing to focus on the training of prehospital and acute care professionals, the establishment of resources, protocols and guidelines, the creation of advisory boards and national partnerships, and the National Pediatric Readiness initiative to improve EMS systems for the care of children. It is through the sponsoring and financial support of these types of programs EMS for Children has been successful in its most basic mission in raising the awareness in the general public, EMS and trauma systems and healthcare professionals of the differences in caring for pediatric patients.

https://emscimprovement.center/about/history-emsc/

https://www.nedarc.org/performanceMeasures/documents/EMS%20Perf%20Measures%20Manual%20Web_0217.pdf