Emergency Medical Services and the Pediatric Patient: Are the Needs Being Met? II. Training and Equipping Emergency Medical Services Providers for Pediatric Emergencies

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Abstract
Emergency medical services have been organized to meet the needs of adult patients. A study was undertaken to determine the training in pediatrics offered to paramedics and emergency medical technicians throughout the United States and the equipment carried by prehospital care provider agencies. Most training (50%) takes place at colleges and universities and the remainder at hospitals and emergency medical services agencies. Many programs (40%) have less than ten hours or less of clinical experience. Some programs offer no training in pediatric emergency medicine. The most commmon deficiencies in pediatric equipment included backboards, pediatric drugs, resuscitation masks, and small intravenous catheters. More attention to training and equipping prehospital personnel for pediatric emergencies may help to improve outcomes of out-of-hospital resuscitations of infants and children.