Nothing! Participation is free.
Yes, this satisfies the QI/PI requirement to track antibiotics prescribed for viral illnesses. However, we recommend that sites also share feedback/data with staff at internal meetings. Group sharing might help change behavior and/or improve quality on a broader scale.
Since there is a designated team and process for tracking and evaluating readmission rates, this would satisfy the requirement. However, we recommend that sites also share feedback/data with staff at internal meetings. Group sharing might help change behavior and/or improve quality on a broader scale.
One way you could approach this is to have a way to gather and review data on all critical care transfers out. For example, see the "Pediatric interfacility transfer monitoring tool" listed inside the Quality and/or Performance Improvement section of the COPPER Resources. This is a form you can complete for each pediatric transfer out. Then, you can periodically review all these pediatric transfers at staff meetings to discuss the cases and how you feel they went, i.e., was the decision to transfer a good one, in hindsight would you have kept the patient, etc
The blood warmer used at Children’s Hospital Colorado and at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children is the 3M Ranger with the high flow cartridge so it can be used with push/pull method fluid administration. Please note, the blood warmer is not a requirement for either level of COPPER recognition but is highly recommended.
Yes, this satisfies the requirement.
The rationale to switch to cuffed ETT is that they are reliable and safe to use. They are now also part of PALS recommendations with the important caveat that the cuff pressure can be assessed and kept below 20-25 cm H2O. If your ED is placing uncuffed ETT in with the rest of their equipment and there are overlapping sizes of cuffed and uncuffed tubes, we highly recommend putting the uncuffed tubes in a transparent colored bag (red or otherwise) so that the uncuffed tubes are visually differentiated from the cuffed tubes. In times of stress/high acuity it can help the team make the appropriate equipment choices and hopefully reduce unnecessary errors.
Since this is for nursing assessment purposes, the age breakdown is completely reasonable. It’s important to document work of breathing for the little ones and to keep in mind that the physical exam is extremely important for all kids.
Pediatric specific things to keep in mind: there are unique GCS and pain scores for kids. We recommend using the FACES score for pain and remember that the physical exam is very important for all kids. We also recommend having a developmental stages chart on hand for reference.
The main thing to keep in mind is that anyone under the age of 8 should be considered high risk for falls. One validated tool used by hospitals that participate in the Illinois' pediatric readiness recognition program is the GRAF PIF tool which is one of only two tools validated for use with pediatric patients.
We recommend having an ages and stages reference on hand to help with this. The CDC has great resources to help with this (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html). The Office of Early Childhood at the Colorado Department of Human Services oversees contractors doing early intervention work in each region. You can find local early intervention programs on their website. The COPPER committee also recommends having the TEN 4 FACES graphic on hand as a reference.
According to the joint policy statement on which all pediatric readiness work is based, the disaster preparedness plan should address pediatric-specific needs within the following core domains:
Availability of medications, vaccines, equipment, supplies and trained providers for children in disasters
Pediatric surge capacity for injured and non-injured children
Decontamination, isolation, and quarantine of families and children of all ages
Minimization of parent-child separation
Tracking and reunification for children and families
Access to specific behavioral health therapies and social services for children
Disaster drills include a pediatric mass casualty incident at least every two years
Care of children with special health care needs
Addressing all of the above in your disaster plan may not be feasible or applicable to your hospital, and that's okay. At a minimum, we would recommend including pediatric surge capacity and pediatric mass casualty incident (MCI) disaster drills in your disaster plan.