The Challenge of Rising Pediatric Hospitalizations
Since the start of fall, surges in pediatric hospitalizations have stressed the capacity of hospitals throughout the United States, and cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu, and COVID-19 are continuing to rise as winter begins. Last week, in a letter to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services requesting a Presidential declaration of emergency, the chief executive officers of the Children’s Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics noted that “more than three-quarters of pediatric hospital beds are full, and many states are reporting more than 90 percent of their pediatric beds are occupied.”
Creating a Common Operating Picture for Pediatric Healthcare Capacity with EMResource
To develop and maintain effective situational awareness regarding pediatric bed availability, it is critical for hospitals and other public health organizations to maintain shared data standards as well as trusted data exchange mechanisms that are flexible and capable of rapid operationalization.
Across the county, public health departments, healthcare coalitions, and healthcare providers are using Juvare’s EMResource solution to develop state- and region-wide common operating pictures in response to the surge in RSV, flu, and COVID-19 hospitalizations. Some have used EMResource to gather pediatric data elements from daily bed-tracking Events that are already accessible through the solution, creating a custom pediatrics view to consolidate those elements and minimize duplicate entries. Others have leveraged EMResource Events to collect analogous datasets and activate daily notifications as a reminder for reporting facilities to update their statuses.
For jurisdictions that do not currently have an established system for recording pediatric bed availability data across multiple facilities, the processes that have already been developed by existing EMResource clients can serve as a starting point to accelerate the adoption of a common operating picture.
Additional Resources
Offered below is a list of Standard Status Types (SSTs) that can be used to track pediatric resource stress levels. Clients always have the ability to edit these names and definitions as best suits their local context.
Click here to learn more about EMResource. If you are already a Juvare client, please contact your Client Success Manager or Juvare Support if you need assistance making these SSTs available or setting up your own Peds Surge/RSV Event.
| Standard Status Type | SST Description |
| Pediatric ED Holds | Number of pediatric patients being held in the Emergency Department (or other areas of the hospital) due to lack of an inpatient bed. |
| Patients Boarding in ED | New admissions who are being held in the Emergency Department (or other areas of the hospital) due to lack of an inpatient bed. |
| Bed Capacity: Peds | Total number of staffed pediatric beds. These are ward medical/surgical beds for patients 17 years old and younger. |
| Bed Availability: Peds | Availability of pediatric beds. These are ward medical/surgical beds for patients 17 years old and younger. |
| Bed Capacity: PICU | Total number of staffed pediatric ICU beds. Similar to adult ICU beds but for patients 17 years old and younger. |
| Bed Availability: PICU | Availability of pediatric ICU beds. Similar to adult ICU beds but for patients 17 years old and younger. |
| Bed Capacity: NICU | Total number of staffed neonatal ICU beds. Similar to adult or pediatric ICU beds but for newborns. |
| Bed Availability: NICU | Availability of neonatal ICU beds. Similar to adult or pediatric ICU beds but for newborns. |
| Available Pediatric Burn Beds | Count of available staffed pediatric burn beds. If beds can be used for both adults and peds and are currently unoccupied, they should be included. If there is no pediatric burn capability, enter zero (0). |
| PEDS: ECMO Availability | If an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation unit is available for patients. |
| Available Pediatric Negative Pressure Isolation | Count of Negative Pressure Isolation beds within pediatric areas that are unoccupied and available. |
| Count of Peds with CONFIRMED COVID | Of admitted pediatric patients, count who are CONFIRMED COVID positive. Include general pediatric beds, PICU, and NICU. |
| NICU/PICU Transfer Capability | Does your facility have available PICU/NICU transfer capability, owned or contracted, with trained pediatric/neonatal staff and pediatric/neonatal equipment? |
