Summary: Many rural emergency nurses are nervous caring for pediatric patients; they care for the critically ill pediatric patient infrequently, especially in smaller rural or frontier communities. Over the last few years, the Child Ready program, with the support of an HRSA grant, has partnered with such communities to offer education and support to improve pediatric outcomes. One specific example is a rural facility in Northern New Mexico, using the EMSC pediatric readiness score as a measure, the Child Ready team worked with the facility, offering both in-person and virtual education and support for physicians and nurses. An initial pediatric readiness score of 64 was assessed, and areas of improvement were identified. The education was specifically targeted towards the facility’s needs, utilizing their equipment and virtual mock codes to increase staff confidence in responding to emergencies. In person events facilitated team building with the Child Ready team supporting the relationship between the Child Ready Virtual Pediatric Emergency Department and the rural facility. With this support, the rural facility improved confidence to utilize equipment and respond to pediatric emergencies, policies and procedures were written and implemented, and pediatric-specific equipment was procured. The rural facilities EMSC Pediatric Readiness score jumped from 64 to 94 with the support of the Child Ready program, improving the rural response to pediatric care. We will discuss how the use of a virtual platform combined with in-person support can improve pediatric readiness and nursing confidence.
Sara Daykin (Sun,) studied this question.