title: Definitions and Assessment Approaches for Emergency Medical Services for Children.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.affiliation: Johnson County, Kansas MED-ACT, Olathe, Kansas.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.affiliation: Section of Pediatric Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Adelgais
authors.affiliation: Emergency Nurses Association, Des Plaines, Illinois.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bokholdt
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brice
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center and New York City Health + Hospitals, Harlem, New York.
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fallat
authors.affiliation: Office of the Medical Director, Austin-Travis County EMS System and Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas.
authors.forename: Katherine E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Remick
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio; and.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Widmeier
authors.affiliation: American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois mmarx@aap.org.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marx
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032921:Consensus; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000193:education; D014481:United States