The new pediatric readiness standard will require all trauma centers to participate in the National Pediatric Readiness Project assessment. “We are grateful to the College for their recognition of the importance of pediatric readiness and are excited to help raise the bar for the initial post-injury care of children nationwide.” “The new standard on pediatric readiness is the result of years of close collaboration between the EMSC Program and the ACS Committee on Trauma,” says Aaron Jensen, MD, MEd, MS, Trauma Co-Lead for the EMSC Program’s Innovation and Improvement Center.

The process is voluntary, and verification lasts for three years. Trauma center verification is ACS’s evaluation process to assess and improve trauma care nationwide. 17 during the 2021 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Trauma Quality Improvement Program annual conference. The project is jointly led by EMSC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Emergency Nurses Association. But only 57% of children across the United States have feasible access to a pediatric trauma center-even though kids, because of their unique anatomies and physiologies, require specialized care.Įxperts hope to bridge this gap through new pediatric standards for all verified trauma centers, both adult and pediatric, including one related to the National Pediatric Readiness Project, the flagship initiative of the federally funded Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program. Pediatric readiness assessment to be required for trauma center verificationĬontact: 23, Austin, Texas) More children die of injury each year than from all other causes combined.

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