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A paramedic arrives on the scene of a car accident, and begins preparing the victims for transport to the hospital. Among the injured is a small child, whose special treatment needs differ a great deal from the care given to adults.
Paramedics are trained in maximizing those few minutes of pre-hospital treatment. What happens during those minutes can make the difference between life and death for a patient. Thanks to the American Academy of Pediatrics and a pediatrician at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, paramedics are receiving specialized training in treating younger patients.
The American Academy of Pediatrics designed the Pediatric Education for Pre-hospital Professionals (PEPP) and implemented the training in 2000. Since its inception, more than 55,000 EMTs, paramedics, and other emergency responders have completed the course.
Though pediatric cases represent only about 10 percent of emergency 911 calls, those situations are some of the toughest for paramedics to handle, according to Dr. Dena Brownstein, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital who assisted in creating the PEPP program. With so few emergency calls requiring pediatric treatment, paramedics and EMTs have few opportunities to supplement their training with real-world experience.
"Even the most experienced pre-hospital professionals will freely admit that critical pediatric calls are their most anxiety-producing," said Brownstein, who has been designing pre-hospital pediatric training since 1986. "Field experience is limited, the stakes are huge, and emotions run high."
Brownstein was an associate editor of the first edition of the PEPP curriculum, which was modeled in part on her earlier training programs in Washington. She is one of two co-editors of the PEPP program's second edition, which will be released in March 2004. The UW honored Brownstein in 2003 with an Outstanding Public Service Award for her contributions to emergency pediatric training.
The PEPP case-based interactive program includes a textbook, lectures, scenario and skill stations, and video instruction. It has been endorsed by the National Association for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Educators, the National Association of State EMS Training Officers, and the American College of Emergency Physicians, and follows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Standard Curriculum for EMS providers.
"I am personally confident that the 50,000 pre-hospital professionals who have gone through this training are better equipped to serve the youngest and most vulnerable members of their communities. I feel fortunate to be part of the ongoing development and dissemination of the PEPP program," Brownstein said.
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