This award-winning program was designed to teach all EMS providers how to care for children with special health care needs. There are 12 million children in the United States with special health care needs. These children often have uncommon medical conditions that are unfamiliar to prehospital providers. SCOPE is designed to improve the prehospital provider’s knowledge and comfort level when encountering children with special health care needs. SCOPE provides basic information on various chronic medical conditions that these children may have, as well as the technologies and equipment that may be necessary for their survival.
SCOPE is divided into three sections: chronic conditions, special technologies, and advanced practioners. The chronic conditions section focuses on medical conditions that are common in children with special health care needs, but may be unfamiliar to the prehospital provider. The special technologies section describes medical equipment that the prehospital provider may come in contact with when providing care for this population. The advanced practioners section is devoted to the special procedures that the emergency department staff may have to perform.
