Pediatric emergency care
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Pediatric emergency care · Dec 1993
Emergency medical services preparedness for pediatric emergencies.
The study objective was to examine emergency medical services (EMS) equipment and training preparedness for pediatric emergencies in Oklahoma. The participants were 202 administrators of licensed EMS agencies in the state of Oklahoma. A mailed questionnaire was used to obtain data from EMS agencies regarding emergency ambulance run characteristics, medical control, equipment, and personnel training. ⋯ Most services provided intraagency continuing education, but only 71 (54%) included pediatric topics in continuing education. Deficiencies in equipment and training for pediatric emergencies are a common problem for EMS agencies in Oklahoma. Barriers to preparedness include: 1) relative infrequency of pediatric runs and difficulty with maintenance of technical skills, 2) costs associated with increased equipment and training, and 3) hesitancy to allow personnel to perform advanced life support procedures on children.