Emergency medical services for children and pediatric subspecialty practice: a call to action.

Abstract

For many pediatric subspecialists, their role in the emergency medical services for children system is unclear. However, subspecialists have an affirmative responsibility to contribute to development of a system that integrates consumers and providers from each subsystem. Avoiding fragmentation with an integrated system will yield the best outcome for patients while minimizing resource utilization. Additional roles for the subspecialist include responsibilities for advocacy, for guiding policy decisions and implementation, and for education, quality assurance, and research.