Every emergency department should be ready for children. The stakes couldn’t be higher: evidence is clear that high Pediatric Readiness is associated with up to a 76% reduction in mortality risk for children. The National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP) Nationwide Assessment is designed to help EDs understand and improve their pediatric capabilities, and time is running out to participate. The assessment closes May 31.

ACEP is a proud supporter of this federal EMS for Children Program-led initiative, which gives EDs an objective snapshot of their Pediatric Readiness—including a score, benchmarking information, and an actionable gap report. The assessment occurs once every five years and takes only 30 minutes to complete. It’s open to all 24/7 EDs nationwide, and participation is how your department knows where it stands and what it can do better. An estimated 80% of children seen in emergency settings are treated at non-children’s hospitals. Transfer to a specialty center may not always be an option, which means every ED must be ready for kids.

Emergency physicians should coordinate a response with their ED medical director and nurse manager to ensure their hospital joins the more than 3,000 EDs that have already participated. Only one response can be submitted per ED.

Complete the assessment at PedsReady.org before May 31.