Pediatric Preparedness for Disasters and Terrorism: A National Consensus Conference: Executive Summary

In a time of crisis, it is essential to ensure the needs of children are being met in planning and preparing for disasters and terrorist events. The current adult models and guidelines cannot be applied to the care of children. We convened experts from the multiple areas of expertise and disciplines involved in the planning for and care of children during times of disaster and terrorist events. The goals of this unprecedented meeting were to: 1) Build collaboration among individuals with expertise in pediatrics, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric critical care, pediatric surgery, and emergency management, including disaster planning, management, and response; 2) Review and summarize the existing data on the needs of children in disasters, including planning, preparation, and response; 3) Develop consensus on the needs of children in disasters; 4) Create a research agenda to address knowledge gaps based on the limited data that exist on the needs of children in disasters.