Ask HRC: Pediatric Rehabilitation Patients Leaving the Facility

An HRC member recently inquired about special considerations that facilities should make when pediatric rehabilitation patients go into the community for a field trip or to the family home for a one-day visit.

With regard to patients going into the community for a field trip, risks include, but are not limited to, physical injury and/or vehicle accident en route. Assuming staff are appropriately trained to safely navigate or transport the children and use specialized equipment, the risks should not be high. Staff should be trained in emergency response. The hospital might consider periodically drilling a mock emergency that occurs during a simulated field trip to evaluate staff’s response (e.g., do staff have an emergency plan? do staff on the field trip know whom to contact in an emergency?). Additionally, the type of transport used (e.g., van, bus) should...