A Simulation-Based Quality Improvement Initiative Improves Pediatric Readiness in Community Hospitals

Abstract

Participation in a simulation-based quality improvement collaborative was associated with improvements in pediatric readiness.

Providers' Perceptions of Caring for Pediatric Patients in Community Hospital Emergency Departments: A Mixed‐methods Analysis

“…This article noted that care can be quite heterogeneous with respect to adherence to clinical guidelines, in comfort with pediatric‐specific equipment and medication dosing, in approaches and the composition of care teams and in the active use of cognitive aids and algorithms during acute care . This work and that of others outline both advantages and potential limitations to pediatric acute care between settings …”

“…In‐situ simulations involve the presentation of a patient to an interdisciplinary team of frontline providers in their actual clinical work space using real equipment. These simulations can be used to train providers and teams (especially around low‐frequency, high‐stakes cases) and to probe systems for latent safety threats . Debriefings involve teams self‐reflecting on the simulation experience and provoke participants to express their cognitive and emotional frames .…”

Statewide Pediatric Facility Recognition Programs and Their Association with Pediatric Readiness in Emergency Departments in the United States

“…4 National, statewide, and local initiatives that target lower volume EDs could serve as effective strategies for improving pediatric readiness and potentially patient outcomes. Example of these initiatives include quality improvement programs, [34][35][36] statewide 37 or local 38 partnerships between pediatric facilities and smaller volume EDs, or coordinated systems of pediatric emergency care. 39 For example, the Institute of Medicine recommends a pediatric emergency care coordinator to provide oversight of emergency care services to children and integrate and promote pediatric education, policies, and procedures in pediatric emergency care.…”

“…40 It is noteworthy that all states with a PFR program require a pediatric emergency care coordinator in the hospital recognition process. Increasing evidence suggests that these types of initiatives have improved processes of care 4,34,41 and even patient outcomes (eg, mortality). 42 At the state level, some states have reported on the development of a statewide PFR program-especially in Illinois, which reported in 2009 on the development of its statewide PFR program.…”

A Research Agenda to Advance Pediatric Emergency Care Through Enhanced Collaboration Across Emergency Departments

“…A multitude of ongoing initiatives (Data Supplement , available as supporting information in the online version of this paper, which is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acem.13642/full) is making progress through the development of resources, measurement tools, standards, and requirements. In addition, collaboration has been evident in some pediatric‐specific hospitals creating programs over the past decade involving innovative models in the ED (e.g., partnership in staffing general EDs and sharing policies/procedures, health system–based networks of pediatric emergency care), educational outreach, telemedicine, and use of simulation …”