Changes in Access to High Pediatric Readiness Emergency Care in the United States from 2013 to 2021.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess changes in access to high readiness emergency departments (EDs) between the 2013 and 2021 editions of the National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP) assessments.

Study design

We performed a geospatial analysis of ED responses to the NPRP assessments, linked to national census data. We defined high pediatric readiness EDs as those scoring above the 75th percentile in the 2013 assessment. We defined timely access as living within a 30-minute drive of such an ED. We calculated the proportion of children with timely access nationally, by state, and by hospital referral region, and also assessed changes over time. Given the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on staffing, we conducted a secondary analysis that excluded staffing-related domains of readi

SUBMITTER: Joseph AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12587296 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature