Date Approved
4-18-2024
Graduate Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Nursing (D.N.P.)
Degree Program
College of Nursing
First Advisor
Sylvia Simons, DNP, MSN, RN
Second Advisor
Marie Vanderkooi, DNP, MSN, RN-BC
Third Advisor
Julie Bulson, DNP, MPA, RN, NE-BC
Academic Year
2023/2024
Abstract
The recent pandemic and pediatric respiratory syncytial virus surge have reinvigorated pediatric care readiness conversations. National strategies and associations exist to guide health systems in improving the quality of emergency care offered to pediatric populations by first assessing readiness for care. These research strategies center on survey implementation and staff engagement in general emergency departments with the goal to improve staff readiness to care for pediatric patients that may present for treatment. What impact would developing a consolidated pediatric readiness program that includes: pediatric emergency care coordinator designation for each emergency department, pediatric readiness education and committee engagement have on health system emergency department staff’s perception of pediatric readiness in their hospitals? Evidence strongly supported a multi-faceted implementation plan to address challenges of varied emergency departments and relationship with higher pediatric care center hospital within the health system. Using researched pediatric readiness quality improvement initiatives, a consolidated pediatric readiness program was defined for the health system to include pediatric emergency care coordinator designation for each emergency department, pediatric readiness education, and corporate level pediatric readiness committee structure. Analysis focused on staff perceptions through a quality improvement study method with pre-survey, implementation of quality improvement initiatives across the organization, and post-survey to evaluate system changes. Evaluating emergency departments across a health system provided for varied geographic, patient volume, and other considerations, and results allowed for conversation around pediatric readiness program implementation in other health systems framed by the analysis of emergency department staff perceptions. Implementing a consolidated pediatric readiness program customized to the health system allowed for the opportunity to impact the perception of readiness across the health system.
ScholarWorks Citation
Sabo, Rebekah L., "Perception of Pediatric Readiness Across a Health System's Emergency Departments" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations. 58.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/dissertations/58
