Pediatric Transport Teams as a Resource for Outreach and Quality Improvement in Community Emergency Departments

Most children requiring emergency care in the United States are seen in community hospital settings that may lack pediatric expertise and/or ready access to pediatric subspecialists. A subset of these patients will need transport to a tertiary care center for definitive treatment. Pediatric transport teams from academic medical centers can play a crucial role in outreach and education in the community, thus helping to ensure that seriously ill or injured children receive the best possible care before transport as well as the safest and highest-quality transport to a pediatric center. This article presents an overview of the state of pediatric emergency care in smaller community hospitals and the patients they transfer for further care and concludes with suggestions on how transport services can implement effective, mutually beneficial, pediatric outreach activities.