NASEMSO Presents Interim Guidance on the Safe Transport of Children by EMS

Editor’s note from A.J. Heightman, Editor-in-Chief of JEMS The National Association of EMS State Officials (NASEMSO) took a big step recently in presenting interim guidance to EMS agencies for safely transporting children by in ambulances until evidence-based standards are created. This action by NASEMSO offers important recommendations that agencies should review and develop policies and procedures to ensure that children are transported in a safe and secure manner. While not endorcing and specific immobilization and/or securing products, the NASEMSO Ad Hoc Committee does recommend that “The device(s) should cover, at minimum, a weight range of between five (5) and 99 pounds (2.3 - 45 kg), ideally supporting the safest transport possible for all persons of any age or size….” (See specifics below)  NASEMO’s press release on this important issue is presented here for your review: Establishing guidelines for safely transporting children in ambulances has been an endeavor undertaken by various individuals and organizations in recent years. Despite these efforts, this multi-faceted problem has not been easy to solve. While there have been resources developed, such as the Working Group Best-Practice Recommendations for the Safe Transportation of Children in Emergency Ground Ambulances (NHTSA 2012), there remain unanswered questions, primarily due to the lack of ambulance crash testing research specific to children. The National Association of EMS State Officials (NA...
Source: JEMS Special Topics - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News Patient Care Special Topics Industry News Administration and Leadership Source Type: news