PC3038: A QI Initiative: Creation of a Family Reunification Plan for a Pediatric Tertiary Care Center

Purpose/Objectives: At any given time, millions of children in the United States are at school or daycare, away from their parents or legal guardians. Detailed planning for reunification with their caregivers following a disaster is often overlooked, as seen after Hurricane Katrina when it took up to 6 months to reunify all children with their families. Additionally, the findings of the 2013 Peds Readiness survey revealed only 47% of hospitals had disaster plans that addressed the needs of children. To try and solve this important need, the AAP created a consensus-based Reunification Toolkit. To tackle this ongoing deficiency, the Pediatric Pandemic Network identified the need for the creation of a targeted family reunification plan at both academic and community hospitals. We aim to create and pilot a hospital family reunification plan using qualitative improvement methodology.

Design/Methods: Using a driver diagram, the primary aim was identified as the creation of a specific family reunification plan to allow for child-safe reunification to begin within 4 hours of an event. We created two process maps following both the unidentified child and caregiver through the reunification process. The first Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle leveraged survey responses and follow-up focused interview questions to guide creation and refinement of the reunification plan. We used low fidelity simulation to test the reunification plan and allow for feedback and revisions.

Results: Successful planning for family reunification required multidisciplinary key stakeholder involvement to understand and identify existing partial and informal plans. The use of the AAP Family Reunification ToolKit served as a benchmark to help refine and evaluate our plan, ensuring a comprehensive framework. Using qualitative improvement methodology allows for engagement of hospital personnel who may be unfamiliar with disaster management.

Conclusion/Discussion: Family reunification in disasters must remain a priority due to the lasting psychosocial effect on the child and family. We developed and implemented a family reunification plan for a tertiary children’s hospital inspired by the AAP Reunification ToolKit using quality improvement methodology. We believe that this process can be applied to hospitals in rural, suburban, and academic settings.