The obligation of every emergency department is to provide the right care, at the right place and at the right time. Quality improvement is a facile strategy to ensure this goal. No matter the volume, geographical location or staffing, you can drive improvement in pediatric emergency care based on your available resources and capabilities.
The iterative components of QI plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles empowers the team with immediate results. QI is derived from evidence-based research. The goal is to implement incremental change that results in system transformation and not to create an evidence base or validate others’ findings. Thus, QI is a natural fit for NPRQI.
The spirit of the NPRQI is derived from an optimism that comes from a unified voice that wants to improve pediatric emergency care rather than a competitive or punitive culture. Previous peds ready QI collaboratives (PRQC) demonstrated the feasibility of a QI approach across diverse EDs with variable resources.
One of the most common barriers to pediatric readiness (as reported in the 2013 NPRP assessment) is a lack of QI education and resources to promote pediatric readiness. NPRQI provides meaningful pediatric quality metrics and a web-based platform to guide improvements in the delivery of pediatric emergency care. NPRQI builds on the foundation of the National Pediatric Readiness Project by providing the “how”. It is the next step in supporting your emergency department becoming pediatric ready.