Pediatric Education for Prehospital Providers

Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) develops the knowledge and practical skills required to recognise, assess, and manage medical and traumatic emergencies in infants and children using a structured, evidence-based approach. Accredited by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the programme follows current paediatric emergency care guidelines to help participants rapidly identify the sick or injured child, perform age-appropriate assessments, and deliver timely, effective interventions for respiratory emergencies, shock, trauma, seizures, cardiac arrest, and other life-threatening paediatric conditions.

Through realistic case studies, hands-on skills stations, and interactive patient simulations, PEPP strengthens clinical judgement, communication, teamwork, and decision-making when caring for paediatric patients in the prehospital environment. Emphasis is placed on early recognition of clinical deterioration, systematic assessment, family-centred care, and the integration of airway management, resuscitation, and evidence-based paediatric emergency care.

Designed for emergency medical technicians, paramedics, nurses, physicians, and other prehospital healthcare professionals, PEPP provides a structured and systematic framework for managing paediatric emergencies, enabling clinicians to deliver safe, efficient, and evidence-informed care in both urban and austere healthcare environments.

The PEPP course emphasises the application of evidence-based paediatric emergency care through structured case analysis, hands-on skills stations, interactive discussion, and realistic patient simulations. Core subject areas include:

• Paediatric assessment and the Paediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT)
• Developmental anatomy and physiology
• Family-centred communication
• Respiratory emergencies
• Shock recognition and management
• Cardiac emergencies and paediatric resuscitation
• Medical emergencies, including seizures and altered mental status
• Paediatric trauma assessment and management
• Child abuse and neglect recognition
• Neonatal emergencies
• Environmental emergencies
• Paediatric pharmacology and medication safety
• Airway management and ventilation
• Transport and ongoing patient monitoring

The programme incorporates extensive patient simulations designed to strengthen clinical assessment, critical thinking, and decision-making when caring for infants and children. Participants develop confidence in recognising the deteriorating paediatric patient, performing age-appropriate assessment, and delivering timely, evidence-based interventions through realistic emergency scenarios that reinforce systematic care, effective communication, and coordinated team performance.

Upon successful completion of the Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) course, participants will be able to:

• Apply a systematic, age-appropriate approach to the assessment and management of ill and injured infants and children in the prehospital setting.
• Recognise the early signs of paediatric deterioration using evidence-based assessment tools, including the Paediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT), to identify life-threatening conditions.
• Perform effective paediatric airway management, respiratory support, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation using current paediatric resuscitation guidelines.
• Recognise and manage common paediatric medical and traumatic emergencies, including respiratory distress, shock, seizures, trauma, and environmental emergencies.
• Demonstrate effective communication with paediatric patients, caregivers, and multidisciplinary healthcare teams while delivering family-centred emergency care.
• Adapt paediatric assessment and treatment principles to diverse clinical environments, including prehospital, remote, austere, and resource-limited settings, while maintaining safe, evidence-based practice.