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Published on: January 12, 2018

Pediatric disaster preparedness and health disparities: Gaps, future goals, and recommendations

Chelsea D Hicks1, Colton Hasson2, Sanaiya Bhatt3

  • 1University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle, Washington.

American Journal of Disaster Medicine
|July 16, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Focus groups identified significant barriers in disaster response for children, including funding and communication gaps. Addressing these issues is crucial for improving pediatric emergency care and reducing health disparities.

Area of Science:

  • Disaster medicine
  • Pediatric emergency care
  • Health disparities

Background:

  • Optimal care for children during disasters is often hindered by systemic challenges.
  • The Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAPEM) convened a focus group to address these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify barriers to optimal pediatric care during disasters.
  • To explore opportunities for improving emergency management and disaster medicine practices for children.

Main Methods:

  • Six focus groups were conducted in summer 2023 with emergency management and disaster medicine professionals.
  • Surveys collected demographic data and training history from 49 participants.
  • Focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively, with survey data analyzed using SPSS.

Main Results:

  • Key challenges identified include inadequate funding, communication breakdowns, knowledge and technology gaps, and insufficient emergency preparedness plans.
  • Facilitators to improved care include enhanced preparedness, team cohesion, engagement, and grant funding.

Conclusions:

  • Findings underscore the need to prioritize funding, communication, and addressing systemic gaps in disaster preparedness for pediatric populations.
  • Results can inform targeted initiatives to improve health equity and awareness for children in emergencies.
Abstract

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