Number of 'pediatric ready' MUSC Health hospitals grows around state

This week, the South Carolina Department of Public Health visited MUSC Health Florence Medical Center to decide whether to certify it as pediatric ready. To the delight of the care team, the answer was yes. So Florence joins a growing list of MUSC Health hospitals around the state with the designation.

 

Amanda Price, M.D., directs MUSC Health’s Emergency Department Pediatric Readiness Initiative. “Our regional hospitals must be ready for anything that walks in their door. In the United States, the majority of children seek emergency care in general emergency departments due to the relative lack of pediatric-specific Emergency Departments. Very few end up in dedicated children’s hospitals,” Price said.

That’s one reason the pediatric ready designation is important. “The other reason is that there's very good data showing that hospitals with higher pediatric readiness scores have significantly lower mortality rates for children.”

One study found that the higher a hospital's pediatric readiness level, the lower the mortality rate. Price said that has been replicated in follow-up studies. And the National Pediatric Readiness Project estimates that universal pediatric readiness can save more than 2,000 lives per year.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health’s pediatric ready list includes MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, one of just three hospitals in the state to earn “comprehensive level” status. Three other MUSC Health hospitals are officially pediatric ready as well, in the state’s “basic” category: 

• MUSC Health Black River Medical Center in Cades.
• MUSC Health Chester Medical Center.
• MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center.

It’s important to keep that list growing, Price said. “We are working on both a national and state level to improve pediatric readiness in all emergency departments.””

To be certified as pediatric ready in South Carolina, hospitals have to meet a series of criteria. At a minimum, hospitals have to:

• Take the National Pediatric Readiness Project Assessment and improve their overall pediatric readiness score.
• Have a nurse and/or physician champion for pediatric readiness.
• Stock appropriate pediatric-sized equipment based on weight and age.
• Weigh children only in kilograms and put that information in a prominent place in their medical records to reduce risk of confusion between pounds and kilograms.
• Measure temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, pain level and mental status and perform a mental health screening.
• Have pediatric-specific guidelines and policies. 

There are many other expectations in the basic, advanced and comprehensive categories. In the advanced and comprehensive categories, the requirements include the local hospitals’ ability to admit children. 

Price said it’s important to get the word out about pediatric readiness. “We want families to see the MUSC name and know that these teams are prepared to provide the best possible care of children.  

Experts from the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital travel to other MUSC Health hospitals to do that training in person. “We meet with their staff and run simulations with medical manikins to practice pediatric scenarios that might not happen very frequently in a more rural hospital. These real-life simulations help the local team to be prepared for more significant pediatric cases that may show up at any time.” 

That preparation can make all the difference, a difference that children everywhere deserve, Price said. “It's a passion of mine to ensure that all pediatric patients, no matter where they seek care, are the recipients of high quality, evidence-based treatment.”