This QI collaborative provided opportunities for children’s hospital teams to collaborate with other diverse teams across the country to improve pediatric preparedness for emergencies, disasters, and pandemics. More than 100 children’s hospitals participated in the DNC with teams ranging from 1 to 40 representatives in 40 states and territories, encompassing all 10 federal regions. See a graphical map and list here.
The teams included children’s hospital personnel with various backgrounds, such as, physicians, nursing professionals, business continuity/resilience professionals, certified emergency managers, certified healthcare emergency professionals, certified legal professionals, C-suite or other hospital leaders, disaster medical directors, educators, EMSC state partnership managers, grant writers, operations support managers, paramedics, pediatric emergency care coordinators (PECCs), pharmacists, safety officers, security managers, respiratory therapists, social workers, veterinarians, and numerous individuals with advanced degrees and certifications.
Structure
The initial phase of the collaborative consisted of an introductory/overview session followed by monthly, 90-minute virtual sessions that focused on strategies and consensus driven approaches to improve pediatric disaster preparedness through C-suite commitment and support, consistent disaster roles and responsibilities, and awareness of the emergency management landscape and how to improve participation in regional efforts. Teams attended these ten sessions to exchange ideas, challenges, and successes. Discussions occured and questions were addressed within the large collaborative group and small breakout group sessions. Teams also had access to coaching, support, and experts. The final part of the collaborative included presentations by various DNC teams on their project improvements and ideas for others, followed by interactive discussions. Continuing education for physicians and nurses were made available if requirements were met.
