Project Background
The PECC+ project was developed with the goal of expanding upon an existing pediatric EMS initiative in North Carolina that provides personalized feedback on EMS provider’s pediatric performance compared to statewide benchmarks. With approximately 10% of EMS calls being for pediatric patients nationally, and often even fewer in rural EMS systems, many EMS providers struggle with reduced confidence and lower pediatric readiness scores due to their lower pediatric call volume.
Over the years, many studies have shown that quality improvement initiatives in medicine can take up to two decades to be taken up in the field. The PECC+ project hopes to overcome this barrier by bridging the gap between the researchers who formulate the guidelines, and the providers on the ground. The approach? Bringing pediatric training and resources directly to the field by employing PECCs in 10 rural North Carolina EMS systems.
What are PECCs? Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinators (or PECCs for short) are individual(s) who are responsible for coordinating pediatric specific training and protocols. When utilized in emergency departments, PECCs have been successful in improving pediatric preparedness. The intent of developing the PECC role within EMS systems is to achieve this same goal of increased pediatric readiness, especially in rural and lower resource systems. This project will implement a focused program of performance improvement feedback tools, educational and training resources, and a comprehensive online system that will support this new PECC role in ten low-resource, rural EMS Systems in North Carolina.
Want to Learn More About PECCs?
1. Deploy PECCs
Standardize the Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC) job description and employ PECCs in ten rural North Carolina EMS Systems.
2. Develop Online Hub
Develop and launch an online PECC Hub. This Hub will allow PECCs to access Performance Adherence Reports (PARs), educational content for themselves and their EMS providers, and a data-driven alert system which will notify them of provider training interventions.
3. Expand PAR Program
Expand the previously developed PAR program, that covered 3 primary pediatric conditions and illnesses, by designing additional PARs and educational courses to cover a wider variety of nationally recommended pediatric prehospital performance measures.
4. Assess Results
Assess the benefits and barriers of the Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (Plus) program using a mixed methods approach.
PARs
Performance Adherence Reports (PARs) allow EMS providers and administrators to compare their performance and the performance of their EMS System to statewide benchmarks. An example of a PAR for albuterol administration is shown here. If you are an active EMS provider in one of our partner counties, you can access your real-time, personalized PARs by clicking the “Access PARs” option at the top of this page.
Social Media
The social media component of the PECC grant program helps significantly accelerate the rate at which educational content can be disseminated to EMS providers through the accessible platforms of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where providers spend much of their private and professional time. Studies have shown that 90.4% of Millennials, 77.5% of Generation Z, and 48.2% of Baby Boomers are active on social media. As the average age of the EMS provider tends to be younger than other healthcare professionals, this positions social media as a valuable tool to provide educational pediatric resources, news, and program updates directly to our NC EMS partners. Follow us today @UNCPAR!
Online Courses
PECC+ online courses are designed to both educate and assess EMS provider knowledge of pediatric protocols and empower EMS administrators to utilize PAR results to guide and improve provider performance in understudied areas of pediatric care. There is also an introductory course that informs providers on how to fully understand and utilize their performance adherence reports (PARs).
You can access these online courses and earn state-certified CEUs by clicking the “Online Training Courses” option at the top of this page.
Connect With Us On Social Media
If you have any questions about the PECC+ Project, please don’t hesitate to contact our team at: jcyr@med.unc.edu.