New Guidance for Safe EMS Transport of Children

The EMS profession has a tremendous responsibility. The safe transport of children by ambulance to hospitals has always been an EMS priority. The lack of guidelines to address that priority has been a problem for years, but there have been no crash standards for child-transport equipment. Professional EMS personnel rely on manufacturers’ guidelines; those are the only standards upon which they’ve been able to depend.

This “multi-faceted problem” has been pursued without evidence-based standards until now. In March 2017, the new Safe Transport of Children by EMS Interim Guidance was released by NASEMSO (National Association of State EMS Officials). The organization will be seeking funding to conduct crash-testing research and to develop standards. Until that time, the Interim Guidance guidelines can be followed – based on what we now know – to minimize the risk of additional injury to children in ambulances.

The Guidance includes the following directives:

  • EMS agencies should develop specific policies/processes that address forward motion and possible ejection of children, with a focus on:
    • Methods
    • Training
    • Equipment
  • Securing the torso should be a primary focus as well as support for the head, neck and spine.
  • Unrestrained child transport is prohibited.
  • All mounting systems should be tested in accordance with the Society of Automotive Engineers standard SAE J3043.
  • All equipment for children of any age or size should cover 5-99-pound weights.
  • All equipment buyers need to request testing information from their equipment manufacturers.
Only One Device Exceeds NASEMSO Recommendations

NASEMSO announced March 21, 2017, that the ACR-4, by Quantum EMS Products, is the only device on the market that can fully restrain all children from 4 to 99 pounds during ambulance transportation. This next evolution of pediatric transport equipment not only offers maximum safety but also allows healthcare professionals to perform medical procedures while underway. According to Kris Bordnick, Vice President at Quantum EMS Products, the all-in-one ACR4 “ . . . will allow for a broader range of pediatric patients to be restrained correctly.”

Concordance Healthcare Solutions is proud to be a distributor of this pediatric safety device. 

Helping you stay in the know

You might also be interested in

Home truly is where the heart is, which is why many patients choose home healthcare to treat chronic and terminal illnesses. Almost 5 million patients chose home care, as reported in the most recent CDC FastStats data. Home care agencies treat various conditions including Alzheimer's and dementia, heart disease, endocrine problems, immune...

Long term care facilities provide nursing and daily living assistance to our vulnerable populations. Geriatric patients, especially those over 85, represent a high proportion of this care. Patients with additional trauma or disability often make up the remaining population, as well as some hospice patients. One commonality across this patient...

Signing any contract or purchase agreement can be intimidating. Business professionals know not to enter into a contract lightly, understanding that a business must first evaluate many factors. Purchase agreements are contracts for goods or services that can be immensely valuable when done correctly, and highly detrimental when done without the...