Pediatric Readiness and Trauma Center Access for Children

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Trauma Care
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Geographic disparities in pediatric trauma center access impact survival rates.
• National efforts focus on improving pediatric readiness in emergency departments.
• Timely access to pediatric-ready trauma centers is crucial for child survival.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess current US access to pediatric-ready trauma centers.
• Estimate potential access improvements with universal pediatric readiness.
• Evaluate geospatial access within 60 minutes for pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive cross-sectional study analyzing trauma center data.
• Geospatial analysis of access for pediatric patients (≤18 years) via ground/air ambulance.
• Utilized 2021 National Pediatric Readiness Project data (wPRS) and 2020 US census data.

Main Results:

• 65% of children had access to a pediatric trauma center within 60 minutes.
• 73% of children had access to a pediatric-ready trauma center (wPRS ≥93) within 60 minutes.
• 92% had access to any high-level trauma center within 60 minutes.

Conclusions:

• Access to pediatric-ready trauma care remains limited for children.
• Ensuring pediatric readiness at all high-level adult trauma centers can improve access.
• Enhanced readiness can provide timely, high-quality resuscitative care for pediatric trauma patients.