Pediatric capacity crisis: A framework and strategies to prepare for a pediatric surge

• DOI: 10.1002/emp2.13093
• Publication Date: 2024-01-16T16:15:49Z
• Authors: Diana M. Bongiorno; Miranda Ravicz; Nicole L. Nadeau; Kenneth A. Michelson; Elizabeth R. Alpern; Sage R. Myers; Margaret E. Samue...
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; pediatrics; RC86-88.9; capacity crisis; health care systems; Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid; Pediatrics; policy

A pediatric capacity crisis developed across the country in the Fall and Winter of 2022 due to a combination of factors, including a surge in respiratory viruses, staffing shortages, and historical closures of inpatient pediatric units. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated surge in critically ill adult patients demonstrated that health care systems and health care workers can quickly implement creative and collaborative system-wide solutions to deliver the best care possible during a capacity crisis. Similar solutions are needed to respond to future surges in pediatric volume and to maintain a high standard of care during such a surge. This paper aims to build upon insights from the COVID-19 and H1N1 pandemic responses and the 2022 pediatric capacity crisis. We provide specific recommendations addressing governmental/policy, hospital/health care system, and individual clinician strategies that can be implemented to manage future surges in pediatric patient volume.