Pediatric Life Support (PLS) courses and instructional programs are educational tools developed to teach resuscitation and stabilization of children who are critically ill or injured. A number of PLS courses have been developed by national professional organizations for different health care providers (eg, pediatricians, emergency physicians, other physicians, prehospital professionals, pediatric and emergency advanced practice nurses, physician assistants). PLS courses and programs have attempted to clarify and standardize assessment and treatment approaches for clinical practice in emergency, trauma, and critical care. Although the effectiveness of PLS education has not yet been scientifically validated, the courses and programs have significantly expanded pediatric resuscitation training throughout the United States and internationally. Variability in terminology and in assessment components used in education and training among PLS courses has the potential to create confusion among target groups and in how experts train educators and learners to teach and practice pediatric emergency, trauma, and critical care. It is critical that all educators use standard terminology and patient assessment to address potential or actual conflicts regarding patient evaluation and treatment. This article provides a consensus of several organizations as to the proper order and terminology for pediatric patient assessment. The Supplemental Information provides definitions for terms and nomenclature used in pediatric resuscitation and life support courses.
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December 2016
Special Article|
December 01 2016
Definitions and Assessment Approaches for Emergency Medical Services for Children
Susan Fuchs, MD;
Susan Fuchs, MD
aDepartment of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois;
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Mark Terry, NRP;
Mark Terry, NRP
bJohnson County, Kansas MED-ACT, Olathe, Kansas;
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Kathleen Adelgais, MD;
Kathleen Adelgais, MD
cSection of Pediatric Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado;
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Marlene Bokholdt, MS;
Marlene Bokholdt, MS
dEmergency Nurses Association, Des Plaines, Illinois;
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Jane Brice, MD;
Jane Brice, MD
eDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;
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Kathleen M. Brown, MD;
Kathleen M. Brown, MD
fDepartment of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia;
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Arthur Cooper, MD;
Arthur Cooper, MD
gColumbia University Medical Center and New York City Health + Hospitals, Harlem, New York;
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Mary E. Fallat, MD;
Mary E. Fallat, MD
hDivision of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky;
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Katherine E. Remick, MD;
Katherine E. Remick, MD
iOffice of the Medical Director, Austin-Travis County EMS System and Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas;
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Keith Widmeier, BA;
Keith Widmeier, BA
jDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio; and
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Wendy Simon, MA;
Wendy Simon, MA
kAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
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Melissa Marx, BA
kAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Address correspondence to Melissa Marx, BA, Manager, Life Support Programs, American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. E-mail: mmarx@aap.org
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Address correspondence to Melissa Marx, BA, Manager, Life Support Programs, American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. E-mail: mmarx@aap.org
POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Pediatrics (2016) 138 (6): e20161073.
Article history
Accepted:
August 29 2016
Citation
Susan Fuchs, Mark Terry, Kathleen Adelgais, Marlene Bokholdt, Jane Brice, Kathleen M. Brown, Arthur Cooper, Mary E. Fallat, Katherine E. Remick, Keith Widmeier, Wendy Simon, Melissa Marx; Definitions and Assessment Approaches for Emergency Medical Services for Children. Pediatrics December 2016; 138 (6): e20161073. 10.1542/peds.2016-1073
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