Pediatric and Neonatal Surge Annex

The Pediatric and Neonatal Surge Annex provides guidance during a state declared disaster event that involves a surge of pediatric patients.  It outlines communication flow, use of pediatric care medical specialists, decision-making processes and a system decompression model.  Resources have been developed such as patient identification/tracking forms and triage/transfer forms.  In addition, the annex provides several attachments in a Word fillable format that can assist practitioners during a surge or disaster event (see below). 

  • Pediatric/Neonatal Medical Incident Report Form
    • This form assists with ensuring consistent communication between stakeholders and provides a mechanism to request pediatric medical resources and identify availability at a health care facility.
  • Pediatric Patient Tracking Log
    • This form assists with tracking of pediatric patients during disasters.
  • Patient Identification Tracking Form
    • This form assists in identifying, tracking and reunifying patients during a disaster.  Information on this form includes description of the child, who accompanied the child, unaccompanied children, medical history and treatment, and disposition/discharge. There is also a section on the form to attach a photo of the child.
  • Pediatric Transfer Form
    • This form provides a method of communicating medical and treatment information during a disaster when pediatric patients are being transferred to another health care facility.

Patient Care Guidelines

Patient care guidelines have also been developed which outline guidance for at least 96 hours for practitioners not typically used to managing pediatric patients for an extended period of time, i.e.  Newborn Care, Pediatric Respiratory Care.  These guidelines can be accessed via the links below.

Pediatric and Neonatal Disaster/Surge Pocket Guide
In addition, this guide can assist health care providers with addressing the medical needs of children during a disaster. The medical information provided in this guide should not be considered an exclusive course for treatment and is meant to be utilized during times of disasters and mass casualty incidents that result in a surge of pediatric and neonatal patients.  Care considerations incorporated into this document include: normal values, triage and assessment tools, treatments and medications, equipment, decontamination, mental health and security.